Junk food advertising is to be restricted on TV and online in a bid to tackle child obesity.
A 9pm watershed will be introduced for TV adverts and a total ban on paid-for online advertising will be brought in from October next year.
Health Minister Andrew Gwynne said: “These restrictions will help protect children from being exposed to advertising of less healthy food and drinks, which evidence shows influences their dietary preferences from a young age.” The move was included in Labour ’s manifesto after the Tories delayed a similar proposal.
Keir Starmer on Thursday indicated he was looking at more measures to prevent poor health across other areas of government. The PM said he was prepared to take “bold” and “controversial” preventative action, in a nod to his plans to ban smoking in pub gardens and other outdoor areas.
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Asked if he would take steps to tackle other causes of bad health, such as poor diet or social media, the PM said: “We have to go through a preventative model. I’m absolutely convinced about that and that will be part of the 10-year plan.”
Last month Mr Starrmer confirmed he was looking at plans to ban smoking outside sports stadiums, in pub gardens, outside nightclubs and on restaurant terraces. Hinting at this on Thursday, the PM said: “I know some prevention measures will be controversial. I’m prepared to be bold even in the face of loud opposition.
“So no, some of our changes won’t be universally popular. We know that. But I will do the right thing – for our NHS, our economy, and our children. Now, the task before us is the work of our generation.”
The Prime Minister made the comments as part of his response to a damning report found the NHS is “in serious trouble”. The rapid nine-week review, carried out by surgeon and former health minister Lord Darzi, found the health service is facing rising demand for care as people live longer in ill health, coupled with low productivity in hospitals and poor staff morale.
The PM told the country it will take a 10-year plan to fix the health service, including the introduction of preventative measures to improve the health of the nation. In a speech to the King’s Fund, he said: “We’ve got to be much bolder in moving from sickness to prevention. Now we’ve already announced NHS health checks in workplaces. Blood pressure checks at dentists and opticians. And that is just the beginning.
“Planning for ten years means we can make long-term investments in new technologies that will help catch and prevent problems earlier. And there are some areas in particular where we’ve just got to be more ambitious, like children’s mental health, or children’s dentistry.”