Sturgeon is recruited to global health task force

Nicola Sturgeon has been appointed to a prestigious global task force set up by former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg to tackle “preventable” diseases like alcoholism and obesity.

It aims to address the “enormous and growing health and economic burden” of such illnesses and how they can be tackled through government action.

Other task force members include Tabaré Vázquez, President of Uruguay, Mauricio Cardenas, Colombian Minister of Finance and Helen Clark, the former prime minister of New Zealand.

It will be co-chaired by eminent US economist Larry Summers and Mr Bloomberg. It has been created by Mr Bloomberg, one of the world’s richest men, in his role as World Health Organisation (WHO) Global Ambassador for Noncommunicable Diseases.