4 2GM Monday July 27 2020 | the times
News
Ministers believe that doctors can play
a role similar to that they have under-
taken to reduce smoking.
An advertising campaign will con-
front people with the risks of excess
weight in an effort to capitalise on fear
of the virus. Despite government
efforts to involve Joe Wicks, whose
fitness videos became popular during
the lockdown, ministers have accepted
that exercise alone is not the answer.
Matt Hancock, the health secretary,
said: “To help support people we need
to reduce unhelpful influences like pro-
motions and adverts that affect what
you buy and what you eat. Taken to-
gether, supported by an inspiring cam-
paign and new smart tools, will get theHelicopter crashes
A helicopter toppled on to its side
after making an emergency
landing in a field near a busy road
in Kent. It came down in Herne
Bay near the A229 Thanet Way
just after 10am yesterday. A pilot
and three passengers escaped
serious injury but there is
concern over fuel left in the
aircraft. The accident scene was
not close to any homes.Roadwork limits eased
Speed limits past motorway
roadworks will be increased,
Highways England announced.
The typical 50mph restriction
where work is being carried out
will rise to 60mph. Trials over the
past 18 months found the higher
speed was safe, with drivers more
likely to stay within the limit. The
increase will not be automatic but
will depend on the road layout.Eight pulled from sea
A lifeboat and three helicopters
were scrambled to rescue eight
people from the sea after they
were caught in a strong current
off Aberdovey, Gwynedd. A
witness said: “The rip currents
pull swimmers away from the
beach out into the estuary. It is
incredibly powerful and almost
impossible to escape.” Six people
were taken to hospital.Banksy’s £1.2m gift
The artist Banksy has donated
three paintings valued at up to
£1.2 million to a charity auction
for a hospital in Bethlehem.
Called Mediterranean Sea View
2017 , the three works refer to the
deaths of migrants trying to enter
the EU. It will be sold at Sotheby’s
tomorrow. The auction house
said: “Banksy’s work stands alone
for its potent political message.”Wealthy health danger
Wealthy men are more likely to
develop high blood pressure, a
study suggests, with higher
household income linked to
drinking alcohol every day and
obesity. Hokkaido University
Graduate School of Medicine
looked at 4,314 staff in Japan.
They found men with a
household income of more than
10 million yen (£74,000) were
nearly twice as likely to have high
blood pressure, the leading cause
of premature death globally, than
those on less than 5 million yen.A A B C C D E E
E F G G G I I I
L L M N N N N O
O O O R R S T TSolve all five clues using each
letter underneath once only1 Equestrian worker ( 5 )2 Faint signal ( 5 )3 Pancetta, eg (5)4 Cricket activity (8)5 Solo individual ( 9 )Quintagram® No 75 2
Solutions MindGames in Times
Cryptic clues every day onlineFirst test Experts are watching a match at the Oval, the World Snooker Championship and racing at Goodwood to see how venues can cope with fans Sport, page 55
JORDAN MANSFIELD/GETTY IMAGESBoris Johnson said that he had lost
a stone and a half by changing
his diet and taking exerciseGPs will prescribe Weight Watchers
diet plans to overweight patients as part
of measures to tackle obesity, Boris
Johnson said as he urged people to “do
their bit”.
The government will ban junk food
advertising before the 9pm watershed
on television and consult on plans to
ban it outright online. Promotions on
junk food such as buy one, get one free
offers and prominent displays in super-
markets will be banned.
All cafés, restaurants and takeaways
that are part of chains employing more
than 250 people will have to put calorie
counts on their menus. The govern-
ment will also consult on calorie
labelling on alcoholic drinks. Min-
isters are considering labelling the
front of food packaging with a
traffic light system to high-
light unhealthy foods.
The measures are a
significant shift for the
prime minister, who
once ridiculed such an
approach as “nanny
state”. He has accepted the
need to do more to encour-
age people to lose weight after
he was admitted to intensive
care with Covid-19. He said
recently that he had lost a
stone and a half by exercising
and changing his diet.
Mr Johnson said: “Losing
weight is hard but with
some small changes we
can all feel fitter and
healthier. If we all do
our bit, we can reduce
our health risks and
protect ourselves against
coronavirus — as well as
taking pressure off the
NHS.”
At present Weight
Watchers plans are prescribed
only to those at risk of type 2
diabetes. The government wants
to expand the programme and
“incentivise” GPs to give people
more support to lose weight. Doc-
tors will be encouraged to
prescribe exercise and more social
activities to help people to keep fit.The doctor will slim you now: diet
plans prescribed in war on obesity
country eating healthily and losing the
pounds. We know obesity increases the
risk of serious illness and death from
coronavirus — so it’s vital we take
action on obesity to protect the NHS
and improve our nation’s health.”
Writing in The Daily Telegraph today,
Mr Hancock added: “If everyone who is
overweight lost five pounds it could save
the NHS more than £100 million over
the next five years.” He said coronavirus
had been the “deadly wake-up call” Brit-
ain needed to tackle obesity.
Michelle Mitchell, Cancer Research
UK’s chief executive, described the
plans as “a landmark day”. She added:
“Being overweight or obese puts people
at risk of many diseases, including 13
different types of cancer, and dispro-
portionately affects people from poorer
backgrounds. The plan will hugely help
to level up the country and build a
healthier population.”
The measures were criticised, how-
ever, by Tim Rycroft, the chief operat-
ing officer at the Food and Drink Feder-
ation. He said it was extraordinary to
consider the policy “at such a precari-
ous economic time”. He added: “With
household budgets more stretched
than ever the Scottish government re-
cently reversed its decision to press
ahead with promotional restrictions.”
Alex Norris, the shadow health and
social care minister, said: “Labour has
long campaigned for radical action to
tackle obesity. We’ve had big promises
before from Tory ministers on banning
junk food advertising only for measures
to be kicked into the long grass. But an
effective obesity strategy needs action.
The Tories have pared public health to
the bone and people are paying the
price.”
Letters, page 30Steven Swinford Deputy Political Editor
Kat Lay Health Correspondent
Fat busters
Junk food adverts
These will be banned
before 9pm on TV and
online. Ministers will
hold a brief consultation
on whether to ban all
online junk food adverts
throughout the day. The
measures will be
implemented after the
consultation.Supermarket
promotions
The government will
restrict promotions on
junk food, including a
ban on buy-one-get-
one-free offers.
There will also be
a ban on putting
junk food inprominent locations
such as at checkouts
and entrances.Calorie labelling
All restaurants, cafés
and takeaways will have
to include calorie
counts on menus if they
are part of a chain that
employs more than 250
people. Research has
shown that people
consume 200 more
calories a day if they eat
out rather than have
food at home.Alcohol labelling
Ministers will consult on
calorie labelling for
alcohol because peopleconsume about 10 per
cent of their calorie
intake while drinking,
with about 3.4 million
adults consuming an
extra day’s calories
every week.Food labelling
Packaging could carry a
traffic light system so
consumers can more
easily identify products
which are high in sugar,
salt and fat.Weight loss
GPs will be encouraged
to prescribe services
such as weight loss
plans, particularly for
those at risk of diabetes.