Controversy Surrounds Penny Mordaunt's Appointment at British American Tobacco

Key Points:

Former UK Conservative Party leadership candidate and Defense Minister Penny Mordaunt has accepted a consultancy position with British American Tobacco (BAT), advising on harm reduction strategies.

The Business Appointments Consultative Committee pointed out that former cabinet ministers like Mordaunt may provide unfair government access opportunities for British American Tobacco and advised him to avoid direct contact with the government.

Anti-smoking organizations are skeptical of the "harm reduction" promises made by British American Tobacco, as they rely on cigarette sales. They question whether the appointment of Mordaunt is in the public interest.

According to The Guardian's report on April 10th, Penny Mordaunt, a former British Conservative Party leadership candidate who has held several cabinet positions including Defense Secretary and Leader of the House of Commons, has taken on a new role as an advisor for British American Tobacco (BAT), responsible for providing guidance on "harm reduction.

In 2024, after losing her seat in parliament, she will be working as a paid consultant for the Transformation Advisory Group at British American Tobacco (BAT).

The senator abstained from voting on the gradual smoking ban proposed by Rishi Sunak last year, and was in charge of managing the government's legislative agenda before the bill failed to pass parliament before the election.

The Labour Party had urged the government to break with tradition and push forward with the Tobacco and E-cigarette Bill, even though it was in the initial stages at the time. With the Labour Party pushing for it, the bill has once again been put on the agenda.

Penny Mordaunt's new job was disclosed by the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments, which stipulates that she cannot lobby for the government or engage in any public contracts consulting within two years of leaving office.

The committee pointed out that "British American Tobacco has a keen interest in government policies and regulations, and focuses resources on influencing government decisions - such as lobbying for lower tobacco taxes, enacting e-cigarette legislation, and preventing counterfeit goods.

The committee stated that due to changes in government and the passage of time, the risk of Mordaunt gaining access to potentially helpful information regarding British American Tobacco is limited.

However, the committee added, "Although you claim not to engage in lobbying, your previous role as a cabinet minister may be perceived as providing unfair access to and influence over the government for British American Tobacco. Therefore, the committee recommends that you should not represent the company directly in dealings with the government, as this would pose a significant risk under government regulations.

Anti-smoking activists are skeptical of tobacco companies' claims of "reducing harm," believing that these companies rely on cigarette sales.

In recent years, it has been unusual for former ministers to work for tobacco companies, and several members of parliament have been criticized for accepting hospitality from the tobacco industry. Ken Clarke, a former Conservative Chancellor and Health Secretary, worked at British American Tobacco from 1998 to 2007.

Regarding the appointment of Mordaunt, Kingsley Wheaton, the Chief Corporate Officer of British American Tobacco, stated,

British American Tobacco has launched a manifesto of change... It is based on the best practices of Tobacco Harm Reduction (THR) and science. To accelerate this goal, we are aware that challenging our conventional thinking with alternative perspectives will greatly contribute to success. The THR Advisory Committee is designed for this purpose.

At present, Mordaunt has not yet made any comments on the matter.

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