Smoking ban opens door to tax on junk food, says former Conservative Party minister

Lord Bethell welcomed Rishi Sunak's plans to continue raising the age at which cigarettes can be legally bought. Photo: Paul Grover for the Telegraph

He added: “This New Zealand-style smoking ban has a strong political license. The public is very clearly in favor of this, so Rishi is right to prioritize this, so I hope this becomes a platform through which we can now tackle ultra-processed food and there is also work to be done on anti-gambling and anti-alcohol.»< /p>

“I would like to see the government do more,” he added. “I think there is something wrong here.

“There is enormous political support; I think they misjudge the political mood in the country by turning down this opportunity.»

Earlier this year, Henry Dimbleby, author of the government's food strategy, said «Red Wall» voters were demanding restrictions to » protect them» from unhealthy foods.

Lord Bethell said on Thursday: “I would like to see two things. Firstly, I would like to see communities having a lot more say in where junk food stores are located, and if they feel they shouldn't be near schools, they should have that power.

< p>“Secondly, we should consider introducing a tax on ultra-processed foods, similar to the one we introduced on sugary drinks,” the former minister said.

He said the sugar tax on drinks introduced in 2018 had been «hugely successful» in significantly reducing the sugar content of drinks and should now be applied to other products.

Source close to Steve Barclay , the health minister, said: “There is no change in our approach to prevention. In the case of obesity, our focus is on weight loss drug pilot schemes; they have the potential to make a difference in the fight against obesity. Steve's approach is to make informed choices and support, calories on menus, etc. for adults, and to do everything possible to protect children from potential harm.

“We are not considering a ban on “buy one, get one” principle. -free meal offers or meal offers that include a bag of chips or the like. Smoking is a different matter, as the Prime Minister made clear in his speech at the conference: there is no healthy level of smoking, obesity is a much more complex problem.