Part of the debate – in the House of Lords at 3:00 pm on 16 July 2013.
Earl Howe
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health
3:00,
16 July 2013
My Lords, I have never adopted a personal position on plain packaging; the noble Lord is wrong about that. As an Opposition spokesman, yes,
I did make it my business to talk to all sectors—to the tobacco companies, to ASH and to other lobby groups—to make sure that the picture I presented from the Benches on which he now sits was a balanced one. I took no personal position, nor, indeed, a position on behalf of the Conservative Party; I need to make that very clear. The decision that the Government have taken has been in no way influenced by Mr Crosby.
The Opposition are the political parties in the House of Commons other than the largest or Government party. They are called the Opposition because they sit on the benches opposite the Government in the House of Commons Chamber. The largest of the Opposition parties is known as Her Majesty's Opposition. The role of the Official Opposition is to question and scrutinise the work of Government. The Opposition often votes against the Government. In a sense the Official Opposition is the "Government in waiting".
