Simon Clark is director of the smokers’ lobby group Forest and its sister campaign, Action on Consumer Choice. Born in London, he was educated at Madras College, St Andrews, and Aberdeen University.

In 1983, he launched a national student magazine, Campus; in 1984 he worked, briefly, for a Frankfurt-based human rights group; and from 1985-1990 he was director of the Media Monitoring Unit, a London-based research group founded by a former Labour minister, Lord Chalfont, and Dr Julian Lewis, currently Conservative MP for New Forest West.

As a freelance journalist for 15 years, Simon edited a number of publications including Capital Account for the London Society of Chartered Accountants and The Politico for Politico’s Bookshop in Westminster.

A non-smoker, Simon is Forest’s principal spokesman and appears regularly on radio and television defending adults who choose to smoke. He founded Action on Consumer Choice to show how the same kinds of restrictions on freedom for smokers are now being applied to eating, drinking and vaping, and to campaign for greater freedom across these areas.

Recent Forest campaigns include Save Our Pubs & Clubs (Amend The Smoking Ban) and Hands Off Our Packs.