MPs urge Prime Minister to tackle obesity crisis

The Prime Minister must take personal responsibility for tackling England’s obesity crisis after decades of failed policies, MPs have warned.

In its third and final report from its food and weight management inquiry, the House of Commons Health and Social Care Committee said it had ‘no faith’ that the government would deliver its ambition to end the obesity epidemic without a coherent, cross-government strategy.

The cross-party committee called on the Prime Minister to make tackling obesity his ‘clear, personal mission’ and take direct responsibility for coordinating action across government departments.

The report questions the government’s commitment, outlined in its 2025 10 Year Health Plan, to ‘launch a moonshot to end the obesity epidemic’, arguing that the ambition lacks a clear definition, measurable targets and milestones.

MPs called for a cross-departmental action plan combining measures to prevent obesity with improved access to treatment and lifelong support for people living with the condition.

Recommendations include tighter regulation of unhealthy food advertising and promotions, simpler food labelling, targets for supermarkets to increase sales of healthier products and restrictions on fast-food outlets near schools.

The committee also called for better access to behavioural interventions, weight-loss medication and bariatric surgery, alongside improvements to obesity care pathways.

It recommended that Andy Burnham chair a new Cabinet committee to oversee delivery of the government’s obesity strategy and ensure action is coordinated across departments.

The report follows two earlier publications from the inquiry examining obesity treatment and changes needed to improve the food environment.

According to NHS England figures, 30% of adults in England were living with obesity in 2024, while a further 36% were overweight. Among children aged 13 to 15, 28% were overweight or obese.

Research by Frontier Economics estimates that obesity costs the UK economy £74.3bn annually, including £11.4bn in NHS costs, £8.9bn to businesses and £400m in social care costs. Reduced quality of life accounts for a further £48.1bn.

Health and Social Care Committee chair Layla Moran MP said: ‘The government last year declared its bold ambition to end the obesity epidemic, but it lacks a cohesive, coherent plan. An ambition without a plan risks sounding either naïve at best, or insincere at worst, and is bound to fail.’

She said the government’s approach needed to address both the underlying causes of obesity and access to treatment.

‘The moonshot to end the epidemic must be tough on the causes of obesity as well as providing treatment. The government’s plan must tackle problems upstream and downstream. That’s why improving the care pathways and access to treatment must be twinned with determination to change the food environment.’

Moran also called for stronger action to regulate the food industry, including restrictions on unhealthy food advertising and promotions.

‘That will mean standing up to the food industry on numerous points – regulating the constant presence of adverts and promotions for unhealthy food and drink that wallpaper our lives, simpler labelling on products, targets for supermarkets to sell more healthy foods and restricting fast food outside schools.’

She warned that previous attempts to tackle obesity had demonstrated the need for leadership from the highest level of government.

‘This issue transcends government departments, and experience tells us that if the Prime Minister isn’t calling the shots on such a huge, societal issue, the loose ends won’t join up and the moonshot will crash land.’

Moran added that effective action would deliver long-term benefits for the NHS, public health and the wider economy.