Crosby: I’ve never lobbied on tobacco packaging

Mr Crosby, whose lobbying firm is reported to have worked for tobacco giant Philip Morris, said any suggestion he had used his position as an adviser improperly was “simply false”.

Mr Cameron has been accused by Labour leader Ed Miliband of “bringing big tobacco to the heart of Downing Street” by hiring the Australian political expert as an adviser shortly before ditching plans for standardised cigarette packages.

But in a statement issued yesterday by Mr Crosby’s company CTF Partners, he said: “The Prime Minister has repeatedly and clearly said that I have never lobbied him on anything, including on the issue of tobacco or plain packaging of cigarettes.

“What the PM said should be enough for any ordinary person but to avoid any doubt or speculation let me be clear. At no time have I had any conversation or discussion with or lobbied the Prime Minister, or indeed the Health Secretary or the health minister, on plain packaging or tobacco issues.

“Indeed, any claim that I have sought to improperly use my position as part-time campaign adviser to the Conservative Party is simply false.”

By denying he had ever had a conversation with the Prime Minister about tobacco, Mr Crosby used a more definitive form of words than those used by Mr Cameron at the weekend when he was quizzed on the issue.

On the Andrew Marr Show, Mr Cameron denied he was persuaded to drop plans for plain cigarette packaging by Mr Crosby. But he dodged the question when asked three times if he had spoken to Mr Crosby on the issue. Mr Cameron said Mr Crosby “has not intervened … that’s the answer you’re getting”.

The government’s decision to shelve plans for plain tobacco packaging in England was condemned by public health bodies, which argue the packs could help save thousands of lives by cutting the number of young people taking up cigarettes.

A study of the early impact of a similar scheme in Australia published on Monday revealed that tobacco sold in standardised packaging is considered “less appealing” and makes smokers “prioritise quitting”.

Last December, Australia became the first country to introduce such a measure.

But Mr Cameron said there was not yet enough evidence about the impact plain packaging would have. After a consultation, Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt announced on 12 July that the government would keep the idea “under consideration” until results in Australia were clear.

Last night Labour vice-chairman Michael Dugher said: “This baffling statement raises more questions than it answers. David Cameron has refused to deny he has had a conversation with Lynton Crosby about tobacco policy on at least 16 occasions. If Lynton Crosby is telling the truth, why on earth couldn’t David Cameron say this himself?”

He added: “It’s yet another example of David Cameron standing up for the wrong people.”