Why might UK scrap anti-obesity drive?
New PM plans ‘deregulatory’ review of Boris Johnson’s health strategy
Liz Truss could cancel the government’s anti-obesity measures after ministers ordered an official review of policies deterring people from eating junk food.
The Guardian said the review could “pave the way” for the new PM to lift the ban on sugary products being sold at supermarket checkouts and “buy one get one free” multi-buy offers, and scrap restrictions on advertising certain products on TV before the 9pm watershed.
It may also lead to the scrapping of calorie information on cafe and restaurant menus, and could even lead to the abolition of the sugar tax, which was launched in 2018.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The review, which was ordered by the Treasury, is “deregulatory in focus”, a source told The Guardian, and suggests that Truss is diverging from the path of former PM Boris Johnson, who had made tackling foods high in fat, salt or sugar a personal priority after his admission to intensive care with Covid.
In contrast, Truss pledged during the Tory leadership campaign to scrap obesity measures if she won. “Those taxes are over,” she told the Daily Mail last month.
Meanwhile, there is support for her plans in cabinet. The Guardian reported that there “doesn’t seem to be any appetite” from Thérèse Coffey – the new health secretary and deputy prime minister – for “nanny state stuff”.
Truss’s rumoured plans would be likely to “prompt major concerns from health campaigners”, said Sky News, and could “precipitate a clash with some MPs within the Tory party”.
It could also see the new PM face the “wrath of retailers who have already spent millions” making changes to displays in their stores based on Johnson’s plans, according to trade magazine The Grocer.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
The Mormon sex scandal hitting the small screen
Under The Radar A new TV series takes viewers behind the scenes of a real-life social media drama
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
7 recipes for every kind of fall cooking occasion
The Week Recommends Marinated feta; go-to chocolate cake; a fresh way with Brussels: Autumn is not going to know what hit it
By Scott Hocker, The Week US Published
-
Why is a government shutdown possible before the election?
Today's Big Question A fight over immigration, spending and the future of House Speaker Mike Johnson
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
Is Britain about to 'boil over'?
Today's Big Question A message shared across far-right groups listed more than 30 potential targets for violence in the UK today
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
UK's Starmer slams 'far-right thuggery' at riots
Speed Read The anti-immigrant violence was spurred by false rumors that the suspect in the Southport knife attack was an immigrant
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
How could J.D. Vance impact the special relationship?
Today's Big Question Trump's hawkish pick for VP said UK is the first 'truly Islamist country' with a nuclear weapon
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
The Tamils stranded on 'secretive' British island in Indian Ocean
Under the Radar Migrants 'unlawfully detained' since 2021 shipwreck on UK-controlled Diego Garcia, site of important US military base
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Britain's Labour Party wins in a landslide
Speed Read The Conservatives were unseated after 14 years of rule
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
'If they want to win over Gen Z, they'll need to use this time wisely'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Will voter apathy and low turnout blight the election?
Today's Big Question Belief that result is 'foregone conclusion', or that politicians can't be trusted, could exacerbate long-term turnout decline
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Will Aukus pact survive a second Trump presidency?
Today's Big Question US, UK and Australia seek to expand 'game-changer' defence partnership ahead of Republican's possible return to White House
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published