The Changing of the Guard

And here’s a sentence I never thought I’d write. I almost feel sorry for Boris Johnson. In all the floundering, deceit and self-promotion of his final year, he did get one thing done. Spurred by the powerful experience of his own hospitalisation, he pushed through a range of anti-obesity policies, including calorie counts, a sugar tax and restrictions on the promotion of fat and salt. The Obesity Health Alliance, a combination of over fifty charities, welcomed this as a necessary, belated move towards a healthier population.

One step forward, two steps back. Therese Coffey, the new health secretary, has instituted a review which is “deregulatory in focus.” That’s Whitehall-speak for “Do not inhibit business in any way, or discourage it from making the maximum profit.” The economic argument, that obesity actually costs us massively in terms of work efficiency and NHS costs, apparently has no effect, and she will steadily reverse all the work in this area that his initiative had achieved..

Superficially, then, it’s a defeat for Johnson. But in the long-term it’s a total vindication of his style of government. Forget long-term interests, party policy or manifestos. Don’t look for what will benefit the country as a whole; just pick up the nearest prejudice that’s to hand, make an announcement, and get a buzz from the sense that you’re making things happen, winning the war against the woke.