Australian strategist Lynton Crosby lobbied the British government against plain packaging for cigarettes just weeks before he was hired by the Conservative Party, which shelved plans to ban branding.
Mr Crosby made the case in November 2012 to Lord Marland, who was then parliamentary undersecretary for intellectual property, British newspaper The Observer reports.
The Australian's lobbying firm was working for tobacco giant Philip Morris at the time.
A few weeks later Mr Crosby was hired by Prime Minister David Cameron to run the 2015 election campaign for the Tories.
In mid-2013 the opposition attacked the government for the packaging backdown after hiring Mr Crosby.
Labour leader Ed Miliband accused Mr Cameron of "bringing big tobacco to the heart of Downing Street".
Mr Crosby responded in July 2013 by stating: "At no time have I had any conversation or discussion with or lobbied the prime minister, or indeed the health secretary or the health minister, on plain packaging or tobacco issues.
"Any claim that I have sought to improperly use my position as part-time campaign adviser to the Conservative Party is simply false."
But The Observer says documents released under freedom of information laws show the Australian lobbied Lord Marland in a November 2012 email.
Mr Crosby wrote: "My dear Lord. Please find enclosed a telling opinion from Lord Hoffman plus the view of Peter Lawrence (ex-Patent Division) and an interesting comment on counterfeiting from Crimestoppers. Hoffman is the most telling and concerning from an IP viewpoint."
Lord Marland, a friend and fan of Mr Crosby, forwarded the email and three attachments to civil servants in his department.
The email trail was released to the Tobacco Control Research Group at the University of Bath, which now argues both Mr Crosby and Mr Cameron "have serious questions to answer".
But a spokesman for Mr Crosby's firm, Crosby Textor, told The Observer: "Lynton Crosby was not working for the Conservative Party in any capacity at the time of this discussion and there was no subsequent discussion with Lord Marland."
"There was no conflict of interest," the spokesman told the newspaper.
"The email contained documents that the government already had."
After months of criticism the British government again backflipped in November 2013 by recommitting to its original plan to introduce plain packaging.
No final decision has yet been made.
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