Last week Guido exclusively revealed plans by tobacco lobbyists ASH to spy on gay people, pregnant women as well as ban smoking in theatres, prisons and private cars. He wrote:

“The anti-smoking lobby group have written a wide-ranging wishlist for the coming parliament and it’s about as authoritarian as you can get. History would indicate that this bunch get what they want; from the smoking ban, to plain packs and restrictions on smoking in cars.”

As if to prove his point, Public Health Minister Jane Ellison will today attend the launch of the draconian plan, giving it her full blessing:

Parliamentary launch

You are also invited to attend the Parliamentary launch of the report on Tuesday 9th June. It will be hosted by Bob Blackman MP for Harrow East and Secretary of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Smoking and Health. Other speakers will include:

• Jane Ellison MP, Minister for Public Health
• Peter Kellner, Chair of the report’s Editorial Board and YouGov President
• Deborah Arnott, ASH Chief Executive
• Harpal Kumar Chief Executive of Cancer Research UK
• Mike Hobday, Director of Policy at British Heart Foundation.

The launch takes place on Tuesday 9 June from 4pm to 6pm in the Dining Room A at the House of Commons.

Regular readers will remember it was Ellison that shoehorned plain-packaging through the House of Commons during the dying embers of the last Parliament, without so much as a debate in the Commons. She’s a fully paid up nanny-stater, and clearly has no qualms sharing a platform with the health fascists. 

Smokers’ Rights group Forest asked Populus to find out what voters think about taxpayers’ own money being used to lobby the government. They don’t like it:

If you need to further judge the company that Ellison chooses to keep in her official capacity, also on the platform today is the controversial charity chief Harpal Kumar. The greedy boss has triggered outrage following the Sun investigation that found that he’s on £250,000, taking money directly from donations given to help cure cancer to line his fat cat pockets. Under Kumar’s regime the charity are paying out millions in gold plated executive packages, lifted straight from the collectors’ tins.