The UK Tobacco Industry Interference Index (UKTI) forms part of the Global Tobacco Index (GTI). The index ranks 80 countries worldwide based on how well they implement and comply with specific measures drawn up by the World Health Organization (WHO) to prevent the tobacco industry interfering with policy making by governments.

The WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) came into force in 2005, and is the world’s first global public health treaty. Developed in response to the tobacco epidemic, it reaffirms every person’s right to the highest standard of health and provides a legal framework for international health co-operation. In total, there are 182 Parties to the WHO FCTC, including the UK.

The research showed that the UK government has not improved its performance in preventing tobacco industry interference since last year. Areas of concern included:

• tobacco companies conducting CSR activities via informal parliamentary groups and by lobbying. In the case of COVID-19, this was in response to direct requests from government
  
• despite Foreign and Commonwealth Office guidelines to the contrary, UK diplomats engaging with the tobacco industry in low- and middle-income countries
  
• a lack of transparency across government departments about their interactions with the tobacco industry, with inconsistent and insufficient requirements for reporting between different departments
  
• no general requirement for the tobacco industry and affiliated entities to register with the government, which is of particular concern given the industry’s growing use of third parties