British PM backs of cigarette packaging plan

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LONDON, May 2 (UPI) -- British Prime Minister David Cameron has abandoned plans to force cigarette manufacturers to sell their products in nondescript packaging.

The Sun said the prime minister initially supported the plan to make cigarette packs uniform, a move campaigners said would discourage smoking among youngsters, but backed off the subject due to the harm it could potentially cause to the packaging industry, The Sun reported Thursday.

A source also told The Sun there were concerns the plan could cost $4.6 billion in lost tax revenue.

"Plain packaging may or may not be a good idea, but it's nothing to do with the government's key purpose," The Sun quoted a government source as saying. "The PM is determined to strip down everything we do so we can concentrate all our efforts on voters' essentials. That means growth, immigration and welfare reform."