“No, I doubt it. Every smoker knows they are engaging in a potentially dangerous habit whatever they smoke — it is written all over the packet. For most people, brand choice is about taste, image and habit as much as anything. We know that smoking is inadvisable irrespective of brand — it’s part of the illicit pleasure.”

NAJ DEHLAVI, of Ash (Action on Smoking and Health)

“Absolutely, yes. It’s something that the tobacco industries have been aware of for years. Smokers will do anything to satisfy their need for a nicotine fix. Taking deeper breaths on a lighter cigarette is part of the behavioural pattern of smokers. The smoke gets taken deeper into the lungs and this has been related to the increase in adenocarcinoma — a particularly fatal strand of lung cancer.”

CLAIRE FOX, smoker

“No, we are all sceptical about low-tar cigarettes. I smoke Silk Cut Ultra but I’m not under any delusions that I’m doing something with no health implications. Smoking lights has become a popular way of dealing with the moral pressure in society not to smoke. It gives the impression you are trying to give up and, therefore, trying to conform.”

ALLAN CARR, give-up smoking guru

“Claims such as ‘low tar’ are a waste of time and are just kidding the smoker. They are not fooling themselves, they are being fooled by the industry. It’s a confidence trick that takes the smokers mind off the aim — giving up smoking. We are all searching for the cigarette that doesn’t cause any harm but it doesn’t exist.

ANTONY WORRALL THOMPSON, TV chef and smoker

“Smokers are fooling themselves and I’m one of them. I smoke Marlboro Lights although I know it would be better to smoke pure tobacco because of the chemicals in the filters. Most people that smoke light cigarettes do so because they believe they are less harmful. But we’re deluding ourselves. It’s the same with food: you choose a burger even though you know it would be better to stick to salad.”

PROFESSOR GERARD HASTINGS, director of the Cancer Research UK Centre for Tobacco Control and Research

“Yes. The tobacco industry allows the belief that some cigarettes are ‘milder’ than others to persist. This provides smokers with a ‘fall back’ position with their addiction. A smoker feels he is moving in the right direction by choosing a ‘low-tar’ brand. The longer a smoker’s addiction continues, the longer they will be contributing to the tobacco industry’s profits.”