BATTLE OF THE BULGE
Johnson’s obesity plans
THE Government will launch a fresh drive to tackle the obesity crisis.
Boris Johnson, who is on a diet after contracting coronavirus, is expected to announce the strategy next month.
It will include family fitness schemes and new healthy eating advice, while there could also be an increase in surgeries, including those for gastric bands.
A Department of Health insider said yesterday: “All the focus and energy is going to be on getting the nation fitter because, as the coronavirus has shown us, it will save lives.”
Research suggests that being obese doubles the risk of needing hospital treatment for people infected with coronavirus. It is estimated that three in 10 adults in England are obese.
Mr Johnson is said to consider his weight of 17½st – which put him in the clinically obese bracket – was a contributing factor that led to his hospitalisation with Covid-19.
A Downing Street aide says the Prime Minister is “very keen” to tackle the obesity crisis despite his previous concerns about too much government meddling in people’s lives.
The source added: “He had a Damascene conversion after his own illness and has now seen the benefits of a more active approach.”
During his spell as a shadow minister when the Tories were in opposition, Mr Johnson sparked controversy by defending parents for topping up their children’s school lunches with chips.
He also joked that he was a member of what he called the “pie-eating liberation front”.