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** 10 November 2021
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** UK
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** Philip Morris rules out future merger with Altria (#1)
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** Conservative MPs wrote 'sponsored content' praising betting and gambling firms (#2)
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** Gove calls for PM to chair cabinet committee on levelling up (#3)
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** International
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** Egypt orders implementation of ban on smoking inside public buildings (#4)
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** UK
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** The chief executive of Philip Morris International (PMI) Jacek Olczak has told the Financial Times Global Dealmaking Summit, held on Tuesday 9 November, that PMI will no longer pursue a merger with fellow tobacco firm Altria. The two firms had previously discussed a merger in talks in 2019.
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** Speculation over a merger between PMI and Altria, best known for the international and US domestic distribution of Marlboro cigarettes respectively, has been rife since the pair split in 2007 following years of litigation pressure in the US. In 2019, PMI began talks with Altria over a $200bn (£148bn) merger but plans were abandoned after a US regulatory crackdown on e-cigarettes threatened Juul, the vaping company in which Altria held a 35% stake. The market valuations of the two companies has since widened, with PMI worth $144.2bn (£106.7bn) and Altria, after a series of setbacks including political and regulatory scrutiny of Juul, now worth $82bn (£60.7bn).
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Olczak told Tuesday’s summit: “If you have divorced your wife, you don’t go out and buy her a new engagement ring.” He said that PMI was focused on expanding its “pharmaceutical and therapeutic” knowledge and suggested it may move into the cannabidiol (CBD) market. Earlier in 2021 PMI finalised the £1bn takeover of UK inhaler company Vectura and Olczak said that the fierce opposition to the deal from the UK’s health and science community “was a bit of a surprise”.
Source: Financial Times, 9 November 2021
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** Conservative MPs have been writing “sponsored content” online for the Betting and Gaming Council, a lobbying group campaigning for the gambling industry. The MPs include Jack Brereton, MP for Stoke-on-Trent South, Philip Davies, MP for Shipley, Greg Smith, MP for Buckingham, and Mark Jenkinson, MP for Workington. They were not paid for their articles, but the Betting and Gaming Council paid ConservativeHome, which hosted the articles, through an advertising agency.
Jack Brereton, Stoke-on-Trent South MP and a government aide, wrote an article published on Monday (8 November) urging ministers to ensure the gambling review does “nothing to put the industry’s competitiveness at risk”. It describes Bet365, a gambling company, in glowing terms and praises the “huge economic contribution that the betting giant makes to our constituencies” via “high-skilled, good quality jobs”, charity donations, and tax contributions funding public services.
Philip Davies, Shipley MP, wrote an article published in April. In June, he declared a ticket and hospitality box at Ascot Races with a value of £1,400 paid for by the Betting and Gaming Council. Greg Smith, Buckingham MP, wrote a piece headlined “Betting shops are helping the high street get back on its feet” in June. Mark Jenkinson, MP for Workington, wrote his piece in July saying he had “grave concerns about calls by some anti-gambling campaigners that limits should be placed on how much individuals should be allowed to bet”. Jenkinson also declared a ticket and hospitality box at Ascot Races in June with a value of £1,400, paid for by the Betting and Gaming Council.
Whilst ConservativeHome does not commission sponsored pieces, they are booked by advertisers via an agency. Matt Zarb-Cousin, of the Campaign for Fairer Gambling, questioned “why it would be in an MP’s interest to advocate for an incredibly unpopular sector that is resisting … reforms.” The government is due to publish proposals for reform of gambling regulation in early 2022.
Source: Guardian, 10 November 2021
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** Communities Secretary Michael Gove has said that a cabinet committee with the prime minister as chair should be set up to examine the Government’s approach to levelling up. The cabinet committee would have the power to "take collective decisions that are binding across government" and would reduce the decision-making burden on the cabinet. Gove proposed the idea at the Commons Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee yesterday (9 November).
Gove added the proposed committee should be accompanied by another operational committee chaired by “whoever happened to have the job that I currently have”. He said that four specific elements were key to levelling up: strengthening and improving local leadership, improving living standards, improving the quality of public services, and restoring and enhancing pride in place.
Gove also said that the government has committed to keeping the level of funding provided for the devolved administrations in Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales, as well as Cornwall, at the same level as before the UK’s departure from the EU. For other areas, Gove said that the government would “make a judgement about which areas are in most need of that funding”. However, he revealed that plans to move to 75% retention of business rates have been postponed as the Government now explores how to redistribute funding to local areas with less tax income.
Gove also revealed that there will be an announcement on the fair funding review, pushed back every year since 2019, “before Christmas” when the local government finance settlement comes out. He said that the Government would be looking in its upcoming levelling up white paper “at mayoral combined authorities” and would consider whether “individual local authority areas … can assume greater responsibility for some of the functions currently exercised at a national level”.
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** Source: LGC, 9 November 2021
See also: LGC - Gove signals ‘redistribution’ of funding to support poorer councils ([link removed])
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** International
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** The Egyptian government yesterday (8^th November) issued directives to all ministers and governors to implement a law banning smoking in all public buildings. Egyptian prime minister Mostafa Masrawy said that the law included a "complete ban on smoking inside health and educational facilities, government buildings, sports and social clubs, [and] youth centres." He said that building managers who break the rules would be fined between 1,000 and 20,000 Egyptian pounds (£47-£940) and rule-breaking smokers between 50-100 Egyptian pounds (£2.35-£4.70).
Source: Middle East Monitor, 9 November 2021
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