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Tories scorn obesity 'excuses'

27/08/2008

Shadow health secretary Andrew Lansley says excuses should not be made for Britain's obese population.

Mr Lansley told an audience at thinktank Reform this morning he is concerned telling people that biology and environment cause obesity will give them "the one thing we have to avoid: an excuse".

"People need to know that the buck stops with them. They can't shuffle off the responsibility," he said.

Mr Lansley is keen to encourage people to take a more active responsibility for their health and believes a "no excuses" culture is "empowering".

He admits evidence suggests those with more overweight people around them are more likely to put on weight in the same way that binge-drinking and early sex among contemporaries increases the risk of similar actions.

"Peer pressure and social norms are powerful influences on behaviour. They are also classic excuses for risky and damaging behaviour," he added.

This uncompromising doctrine applies to children as much as it does adults, Mr Lansley believes. He said responsibility is "best learned young" and warns that "even with children we need more of a 'Mary Poppins' than a 'Miss Trunchbull'".

Mr Lansley also used today's speech to confirm the Conservatives will stick with three health policies the party has completed consulting on.

It backs the creation of a public health secretary role in Cabinet, separate health budgets and a clearer remit for directors of public health.

And he attacked the government's record on dealing with public health issues, pointing out targets for reducing health inequalities and childhood obesity are likely to be missed.

"The initiatives drift. Why? Because this is a government even more obsessed with the short-term when what public health requires is a commitment to action now, and real follow-through even if the benefits accrue over the longer-term."

Mr Lansley concluded with his message of personal empowerment offered by the Tories: "We all have a choice. We can make it a real choice. We can lead healthier lives. And a healthier society will be the result."