Editing Neil Hamilton (politician) (section)

====Ian Greer Associates====
In 1985, he began working for [[Ian Greer Associates]], lobbying on behalf of [[U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Company|US Tobacco]].<ref>David Leigh & Ed Vulliamy, ''Sleaze, the Corruption of Parliament'', pp. 65/70, {{ISBN|185702-694-2}}.</ref> Hamilton, together with Michael Brown, became an enthusiastic supporter of US Tobacco's product [[Skoal Bandits]], a tea-bag type of pouch of tobacco designed for chewing. The product was believed to cause serious risk of [[oral cancer]], particularly for minors, and the government was inclined to ban its import. Hamilton said he supported the introduction of Skoal Bandits on [[libertarian]] grounds, and lobbied ministers (including [[Edwina Currie]] and [[David Mellor]]) to allow its introduction. The House of Commons Select Committee on Standards investigation stated: "Mr. Hamilton and Mr. Brown had a number of contacts with Ministers and officials as part of their campaign to influence Government policy on Skoal Bandits" and said that there was "no evidence ... that any appropriate declaration was made".<ref>{{cite web|author=The Committee Office, House of Commons |url=https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm199798/cmselect/cmstnprv/030i/sp0133.htm |title=Hansard: Select Committee on Standards and Privileges First Report: VI. SUMMARIZING THE EVIDENCE – Continued 7. ALLEGATIONS RELATING TO NON-DECLARATION OF INTERESTS b. The Campaign relating to Skoal Bandits |website=Publications.parliament.uk |date=8 July 1997 |access-date=21 July 2016}}</ref> Hamilton was obliged to concede he had been wrong to make no reference to the payment "when I went on those meetings with Ministers".{{citation needed|date=February 2019}}