The 2026 edition of Smoke Signals, the annual newsletter of the Worshipful Company of Tobacco Pipe Makers & Tobacco Blenders, was published on July 1 and includes a feature about the generational tobacco ban.

Written by Fran Morrison, former head of corporate communications at British American Tobacco and, before that, a presenter on Reporting Scotland, BBC Scotland’s early evening news programme, it features several quotes by me plus the results of some polling commissioned by Forest last year.

I was sorry to hear that Ken Bates, the former chairman of Chelsea Football Club, had died, albeit at the grand old age of 94.

In September 2000 I interviewed Bates for Freedom Today, the Freedom Association magazine I edited for two years before I was sacked for being too libertarian. (Seriously.)

Last month I recorded an interview for BBC Look North (about hospital smoking bans) but they sat on the story for three weeks until it was broadcast on July 2 when it was also reported on the BBC News website.

It followed reports that, despite declaring its five hospital sites ‘smoke free’, the Humber Health Partnership (HHP) seems to be fighting a losing battle because people continue to smoke on the grounds “despite repeated warnings and multiple public appeals”.

“The lunch was fabulous. The food was absolutely delicious - and so were the wines. I thoroughly enjoyed it and had the pleasure of meeting so many interesting and like-minded people.”

That was the verdict of one of the 80 guests who attended the annual Forest Lunch and Awards at Boisdale of Belgravia on Wednesday.

Technical issues aside, I enjoyed talking about football with Mark Littlewood on UK Live’s World Cuppa yesterday.

It helped that the main topic of our conversation was Dundee United’s very brief foray into US soccer almost 60 years ago because it meant I avoided having to talk about team selection and/or tactics ahead of England’s match against Panama tonight.

Never in my wildest dreams did I think I’d be asked to appear on a World Cup football show.

UK Live is a new YouTube channel launched a couple of weeks ago by former Talk presenter Mike Graham, and one of the other presenters (during the World Cup at least) is former IEA boss Mark Littlewood.

I went to the dentist last week for my biannual check-up, something I only started doing when I went private a few years ago.

On this occasion I was in-and-out quite quickly but I didn’t get off scot-free because I was given a bit of a telling off for allowing plaque to develop on some of my lower teeth.

Despite the quivering lip as he announced he would be standing down as prime minister, Keir Starmer will get no sympathy from me.

However, I won’t go into all my grievances against Sir Keir because this post is not about him but his heir apparent, Andy Burnham.