Liz welcomes government minister’s response to tobacco sponsorship row

12.00.00am GMT Fri 13th Dec 2002

West Midlands Liberal Democrat Euro-MP Liz Lynne has welcomed housing minister’s condemnation of the House Magazine over its decision to print a photograph taken by him in a promotional calendar sponsored by the Tobacco Manufacturer’s Association.

For each month, the calendar has a photograph taken by a politician above a banner advertising a specific sponsor. Other sponsors include Guide Dogs for the Blind, the Royal Academy of Engineering and the British Legion. Liz wrote to Lord Rooker to ask if he knew that the page featuring his photograph was to be sponsored by the TMA and to ask him to disassociate himself from it.

Lord Rooker has responded by writing a furious letter to the House Magazine editor, Sir Patrick Cormack MP, confirming that he had been unaware that his photos were likely to even be used, let alone sponsored by the TMA, and condemned the decision to do so without consultation as “unchristian”. He described the tobacco manufacturers as being the “merchants of death”.

Commenting on the debacle, Liz said:

“I am glad that Lord Rooker has now set the record straight. It is now for the House Magazine to explain its actions.

“All round, this has been a bad week for the tobacco manufacturing industry, having lost its court case in the European Court of Justice against the Tobacco Marketing Directive. Now it is clear that no self-respecting politician wishes to even be associated with them.”