SNP MSP Richard Lyle accepted over £800 in hospitality from a multinational tobacco giant during an overnight trip that he took to help him quit smoking.
Phillip Morris International (PMI), best known for the Marlboro brand of cigarettes, paid for Lyle's travel, hotels stays and food and refreshments during a visit to its Swiss cigarette factory.
The New York-based multinational has fought the Scottish Government’s policy of plain packaging on cigarettes.
Lyle said he saw "thousands and thousands of cigarettes being made" on his visit to PMI's factory in Neuchâte, Switzerland between July 19-20.
He told the Sunday Herald that he took the trip because he wanted to view PMI's production of equipment for vaping - smoke-free products such as electronic cigarettes.
The Uddingston and Bellshill MSP said he had smoked for 50 years and had a 20 cigarette a day habit.
Lyle said PMI invited him after he called for an inquiry into vaping when he previously served as a member of Holyrood's health committee.
However, Lyle's visit came just days after the firm was reported to have developed a corporate strategy to counter plain packaging.
A leaked PMI document reportedly listed the “components of a preventive packaging plan” including challenging the introduction of plain packs as unconstitutional and in breach of trade agreements and copyrights.
PMI has also previously faced allegations that it has targeted young people with its marketing products and that it challenged rules in nations such as Uruguay and Australia for introducing graphic warnings on cigarette packaging.
Lyle said he fully backed the Scottish Government’s anti-smoking strategy, which has included a ban on smoking in cars with children.
However, he admitted he did not inform the SNP leadership or party whips about his decision to accept PMI hospitality.
Lyle said: "The reason I went was not to defend PMI. I took the decision to go because I was given the opportunity to go on a fact finding trip.
"It was because I wanted to change. I went because my family wanted me to give up smoking. I did not discuss it with the party whips or party leadership."
He added: "I totally agree with the Scottish Government's position. I've smoked since I was 12-years-old. I make no apology for being a smoker and a proportion of people still smoke, so we still have to convince people to move off smoking. My family are trying to get me off cigarettes and I'm now going to move onto vaping."
Lyle said he would use his experience of visiting PMI to encourage smokers to move from tobacco to vaping.
He said: "We had an extended tour of the factory and I saw thousands and thousands of cigarettes being made, but also the new product from Phillip Morris. It's time to move on [from tobacco] and my experience of the trip will hopefully convince others to move off."
However, Holyrood’s health committee convenor Neil Findlay hit out at Lyle for accepting the hospitality. The Labour MSP said it was at odds with the Scottish Government’s anti-smoking stance.
Findlay called on Nicola Sturgeon and health secretary Shona Robison to condemn Lyle's trip to the tobacco giant.
He said: "Smoking and the impact of cigarette smoke kills thousands of Scots each year. The SNP Government are rightly pushing for Scotland to be smoke free yet here we have one of their MSPs going on trip to Switzerland paid for by one of the world’s foremost tobacco companies. Shona Robison and Nicola Sturgeon must condemn Richard Lyle’s involvement.”
Lyle stated on Twitter last month that he and a member of his staff were on a “fact finding tour of Switzerland beside Lake Neuchatel”, although the post did not mention the tobacco company.
However, his parliamentary register of interests revealed he took hospitality worth £815.84 from the multinational, which has faced repeated law suits about the harmful effects of tobacco and its addictive content.
The MSP states that he was "hosted by PMI for dinner and was provided with a tour of the research facility known as “The Cube".
Lyle says that PMI paid £358.73 for his air ticket, £192.39 for his accommodation and £139.39 for his food and refreshments, as well as £125.33 for transfers.
He adds that "the total cost was £815.84 met in its entirety by Philip Morris". Lyle did not not claim any expenses from the public purse for the trip.
In response, an SNP spokesperson said: "The SNP Government has legislated in many areas towards the aim of creating a tobacco free generation by 2034 – through measures such as banning smoking in cars with children, banning the sale of tobacco and nicotine vapour products (NVPs) to under 18s and introducing statutory age-verification measures."
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