London - Britain's parliament approved legislation on Wednesday to ban branding on cigarette packs, drawing immediate threats of legal action from the country's $29bn tobacco industry.
Aimed at improving public health and cutting the number of child smokers, the measure is likely to crimp tobacco company profits and emulates Australia, which in 2012 enacted a law forcing cigarettes to be sold in plain olive green packaging with images showing the damaging effects of smoking.
British lawmakers effectively ended years of political debate, private lobbying and public consultation by passing the legislation by a margin of 367 votes to 113.