ASH Daily News for 08/11/2002
HEADLINES
ASH, 102 Clifton Street, LONDON, EC2A 4HW.
Tel 020 7739 5902 Fax 020 7613 0531
ASH Daily News
8 November 2002
HEADLINES
Ken Clarke’s leadership plan torpedoed by cigarette
Letters to the Times
FULL TEXT
Ken Clarke’s leadership plan torpedoed by cigarette
The Mirror reports that disaffected Tory Mps ruled out Ken Clarke as future
leader of the Conservatives over his links with a tobacco firm.
They fear that the Department of Trade and Industry could deliver a
devastating report on British American Tobacco. And senior Tories insist
that Ministers could use it to destroy Mr Clarke’s chances of leading a
revival.
The DTI is investigating claims that BAT encouraged evasion of tax and
exploited the smuggling of billions of cigarettes to boost sales and attract
new smokers.
Quizzed by the commons health committee, cigar smoking Clarke, 62, BAT
deputy chairman since 1998 said the firm was innocent of charges that it had
supplied for the black market.
“I am satisfied that the company is a company of integrity,” he said, and
added that he had looked into the allegations and found them to be untrue.
But a source close to the investigation said: “There is irrefutable evidence
to prove that BAT was supplying cigarettes for the black market in an
attempt to dodge tax and expand their market in developing countries. So
Labour have a great big bomb underneath him which they can detonate at any
time. It’s worth having because he could be a real threat to Tony Blair.
A shadow cabinet member said: “Any one who wants to lead a political party
is going to find they have a lot of explaining to do about the service they
provide for BAT. For that reason alone, Ken Clarke will not lead the Tory
Party.”
Source: The Daily Mirror, 8 November 2002
Letters to the Times
Many write in in support of the call by doctors earlier in the week on a ban
on smoking in public places. ‘Of course smoking should be banned’ says
Adrian Laycock of Hertfordshire. Douglas David from York writes in to say
that there will likely be a furore among smokers, but smokers have a choice
to smoke, but non-smokers none when it comes to passive smoking; whereas
Melanie Eskenazi in Surrey says British attitudes to smoking in public
places are antiquated and we should look to the US for direction. Vincent
Kemp urges the media to stop showing smoking as much as it does,
particularly smoking depiction in TV dramas.
But Keith Wright of Westbury Wiltshire, dismisses the BMA’s call for a ban
as pseudo-scientific mumbo jumbo.
Source: The Times, 8 November 2002
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----------------------------------
Naj Dehlavi
Action on Smoking and Health
102 Clifton Street
London EC2A 4HW
http://www.ash.org.uk
Tel 020 7739 5902 Fax 020 7613 0531
ASH Daily News
8 November 2002
HEADLINES
Ken Clarke’s leadership plan torpedoed by cigarette
Letters to the Times
FULL TEXT
Ken Clarke’s leadership plan torpedoed by cigarette
The Mirror reports that disaffected Tory Mps ruled out Ken Clarke as future
leader of the Conservatives over his links with a tobacco firm.
They fear that the Department of Trade and Industry could deliver a
devastating report on British American Tobacco. And senior Tories insist
that Ministers could use it to destroy Mr Clarke’s chances of leading a
revival.
The DTI is investigating claims that BAT encouraged evasion of tax and
exploited the smuggling of billions of cigarettes to boost sales and attract
new smokers.
Quizzed by the commons health committee, cigar smoking Clarke, 62, BAT
deputy chairman since 1998 said the firm was innocent of charges that it had
supplied for the black market.
“I am satisfied that the company is a company of integrity,” he said, and
added that he had looked into the allegations and found them to be untrue.
But a source close to the investigation said: “There is irrefutable evidence
to prove that BAT was supplying cigarettes for the black market in an
attempt to dodge tax and expand their market in developing countries. So
Labour have a great big bomb underneath him which they can detonate at any
time. It’s worth having because he could be a real threat to Tony Blair.
A shadow cabinet member said: “Any one who wants to lead a political party
is going to find they have a lot of explaining to do about the service they
provide for BAT. For that reason alone, Ken Clarke will not lead the Tory
Party.”
Source: The Daily Mirror, 8 November 2002
Letters to the Times
Many write in in support of the call by doctors earlier in the week on a ban
on smoking in public places. ‘Of course smoking should be banned’ says
Adrian Laycock of Hertfordshire. Douglas David from York writes in to say
that there will likely be a furore among smokers, but smokers have a choice
to smoke, but non-smokers none when it comes to passive smoking; whereas
Melanie Eskenazi in Surrey says British attitudes to smoking in public
places are antiquated and we should look to the US for direction. Vincent
Kemp urges the media to stop showing smoking as much as it does,
particularly smoking depiction in TV dramas.
But Keith Wright of Westbury Wiltshire, dismisses the BMA’s call for a ban
as pseudo-scientific mumbo jumbo.
Source: The Times, 8 November 2002
----------------------------------
Unsubscribe:
Public subscribers: http://www.ash.org.uk/html/about/subscribe.php
<http://www.ash.org.uk/html/about/subscribe.php>
Globalink members: <http://member.globalink.org>
----------------------------------
Naj Dehlavi
Action on Smoking and Health
102 Clifton Street
London EC2A 4HW
http://www.ash.org.uk
