Peter Rhodes on food banks, obesity and Tories fighting like rats
Didn't some of us believe that the Tories, after 14 sticky years in power, might actually relish the prospect of Opposition? Pre-election, I ventured: “What sweet relief it might be for the Tories to take a break and let Starmer and Co face the flak for a few years.”
So how are the defeated Tories dealing with the solemn issue of electing a new leader? One tries to avoid cliches but “like rats in a sack” springs to mind.
I reported recently that a 40-year study suggests that of the 390,000 cancer diagnoses in the UK each year, about 140,000 could be linked to obesity. Fix obesity and we might achieve the glittering prize of fixing the NHS. In the wake of this report, you might expect the NHS to launch a great offensive against obesity. Not a chance. A think tank, Future Health, reports that only five of England’s 42 integrated NHS care boards have made tackling obesity or sticking to a healthy weight one of their top priorities. One bewildered consultant has branded the findings “sadly inexplicable.”
