Packaging News
Philip Morris International, British American Tobacco, Imperial Tobacco and Japan Tobacco International continue to challenge the legality of the standardised packaging regulations
It follows the companies defeat in May when a London judge declared that the regulations were ”valid and lawful in all respects”.
A day before the standardised packaging rules were implemented, Mr Justice Green rejected a judicial review action brought against Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt.
The judge declared: “There is no basis upon which I could or should strike down the regulations or prevent them coming into effect tomorrow.”
The judge heard submissions that the Standardised Packaging of Tobacco Products Regulations 2015 would destroy valuable property rights and render products indistinguishable from each other.
But he ruled: “The regulations were lawful when they were promulgated by Parliament and they are lawful now in the light of the most up-to-date evidence.”
Three Court of Appeal judges in London will now hear a challenge against the judge’s ruling, expected to last four days.
