Penny Mordaunt, the former Conservative cabinet minister, has become a paid adviser to British American Tobacco, the maker of Lucky Strike and Dunhill cigarettes, provoking criticism from anti-smoking campaigners.
The former leader of the House of Commons abstained from the vote on the last government’s Tobacco and Vapes Bill, which was introducing the generational tobacco sale ban, a central piece of the administration’s reforms.
• British American Tobacco chief in line for £18m payday
Mordaunt, whose previous government roles included minister for disabled people, health and work, is providing consultancy services to BAT’s new tobacco harm reduction advisory group.
BAT, based in London, is one of the world’s biggest tobacco companies and has been investing in non-combustible products, such Vuse vapes, but still generates 80 per cent of its £25.9 billion revenue from combustible products.
Mordaunt’s role will include giving insights on regulation, stakeholder communications and broader strategic transformation at meetings of the group, according to a letter sent by BAT to Acoba, the advisory committee on business appointments, which vets external appointments of former ministers and senior civil servants.
• Tony Blair lobbied Berlusconi on behalf of British American Tobacco
The committee has imposed a number of conditions on Mordaunt’s appointment. They include not drawing on any privileged information from her time in office and not lobbying the government on behalf of BAT for two years from when she left government.
While it is common for former ministers to take up lucrative private sector work after leaving government, it has become unusual for them to work for the tobacco industry, which has faced increasing cross-party regulation and criticism because of the deadly health impacts of smoking. Ken Clarke, a former chancellor in Sir John Major’s government, was a deputy chairman of BAT.
Mordaunt’s surprise appointment has drawn criticism from anti-smoking campaigners.
Hazel Cheeseman, chief executive of Action on Smoking and Health, said: “Penny Mordaunt is joining a company that makes 80 per cent of its income from lethal combusted tobacco. It is responsible for thousands upon thousands of deaths across the globe every year. While it talks up its approach to ‘harm reduction’, in countries where it can promote its cigarettes it does. The British public do not trust tobacco companies and I doubt they will be impressed by a former politician providing it highly-paid advice.”
Phil Chamberlain, deputy director of the Tobacco Control Research Group at the University of Bath, said: “Twenty-one years ago the UK signed up to international regulations designed to keep the tobacco industry out of policy making, and appointments such as this stand counter to the spirit of such measures. Penny Mordaunt should show she abides by these regulations, put public health first and quit BAT.”
Mordaunt, who is also president of the Portsmouth Hospitals League of Friends, according to her website, was approached for comment.
In BAT’s letter to the committee, the company confirmed it “acknowledges and understands the conditions applicable to the provision of consultancy services by Ms Mordaunt … in view of the UK government’s business appointment rules”.
