British MP Adam Afriyie won the “most supportive to Parliament” award at an e-cigarette industry event in Windsor, UK.
According to a report from UK media outlet inews on November 28, Member of Parliament Adam Afriyie won the “Most Supportive to Parliament” award at the annual awards ceremony hosted by the UK Vaping Industry Association (UKVIA) in early November. This award recognizes individuals who advocate for e-cigarettes in Parliament.
According to the UK Vaping Industry Association, Afriyie warned in a speech that there is a global battle underway to elevate the position of the e-cigarette industry in smoking cessation solutions. Afriyie expressed his gratitude to UKVIA for the awards they bestowed upon him and for their efforts in helping smokers quit their deadly addiction and save lives.
However, Afriyie did not disclose his wife’s stake in the e-cigarette retailer.
In May, it was revealed by the media that Tracy-Jane Afriyie is the third-largest shareholder of Elite Growth, a global e-cigarette retailer. Elite Growth sells a disposable e-cigarette called Moodbar under the brand Nebulos.
According to recent news revelations, it has been disclosed that Mrs. Afuriye is now listed as a shareholder in the Nebulose-cigarette brand itself. This suggests that the Conservative MP’s family has a direct interest in disposable e-cigarette matters.
Member of Parliament, Mr. Afriyie, has not publicly disclosed his wife’s shares in Elite Growth and Nebulos. Furthermore, he has been advocating for the benefits of e-cigarettes as a smoking cessation tool since these shares were listed. Afriyie is among a group of politicians urging the government to adopt a more lenient approach towards e-cigarettes at the upcoming global tobacco control COP10 summit.
The meeting, which was attended by signatories of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control from the UK and other countries, was postponed earlier this month due to regional violence.
During the period, minutes from a meeting of the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Vaping displayed that Mr. Avery, the group’s Vice Chairman, suggested that the British delegation attending the conference should propose a motion “highlighting the UK as a successful case in reducing tobacco harm” and opposing a ban on disposable e-cigarettes.
Afterwards, data released by the United Kingdom’s National Health Service revealed that the nicotine content of disposable e-cigarettes is equivalent to that of 20 regular cigarettes. This has sparked a debate over the myth of e-cigarettes being relatively harmless. A spokesperson for Afriyie did not respond to accusations that he may have violated lobbying regulations, but told the media that he “will not comment on personal matters.
John Dunne, director of the UK E-cigarette Industry Association, has stated that the association, just like other trade associations in the UK, “advocates for the benefits this industry can bring to society.
However, Phil Chamberlain, Deputy Director of the Tobacco Control Research Group at the University of Bath, has called on Parliament to introduce a “better lobbying register and increase more transparency when documenting industry interactions.” He stated, “The current regulations are too lenient and, as evidenced by the revelations in the ‘Inquiry’ newspaper, it is clear that the existing system has not been properly implemented.
