It’s a real shame to see the Times’ Peter Briffa dismissing the NHS’ anti-smoking campaigns in such a negative way.

Cigarette packets already contain health warnings, an initiative which the Government is currently reviewing – a move which Briffa calls “sinister”.

The review involves the UK Government working with the European Commission to integrate pictoral packet warnings in addition to the current text format.

Unfortunately, if you wave the word “European” under the nose of Mr Briffa you seem to get a negative response regardless of the subject matter or the quality of the proposal. It is truly irresponsible of him to allow his Eurosceptic rantings to come before the health of his readers.

The words he used in his article are below:

“Perhaps it's the privations of childhood that explain the latest sinister twist in the Government's war on tobacco. I say Government, but inevitably the European Commission casts its grubby shadow over proceedings."