Tobacco firm funded attack on council quit-smoking services
Exclusive: PR company failed to tell local newspapers it was working for British American Tobacco
A PR campaign against council stop-smoking services, which has led to reports in local papers across England, is funded by British American Tobacco, the Guardian can reveal.
The PR agency Pagefield last week sent news outlets press releases that appeared to attempt to discredit NHS and council stop-smoking services, which are understood to create vast net savings nationally by helping people kick the habit. Pagefield did not initially say it was working on behalf of the manufacturer of cigarette brands including Camel, Pall Mall and Dunhill.
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