Labour’s family-led health revolution: it’s not about banning things

Public health policy has got to be radical, it’s got to be rooted in what works, and it’s got to put Britain’s families at the forefront. A number of issues need to be confronted head-on – the country’s obesity crisis, an out of control binge-drinking culture, an approach to sexual health that is outdated by society’s attitude to sex, and the way mental health in this country has been marginalised.

The government is receiving warning after warning that its approach to public health is not working. The directionless voluntary collaboration between big business and the Tories is failing. And policies like the ‘responsibility deal’ now mean that big business calls the shots, vetoing policies, hiding behind vague pledges, and simply not sticking to much-heralded announcements and promises once the spotlight has moved on. This government’s public health strategy has become a corporate smoke and mirrors masquerade. Labour wants to put families back in control.

In November last year I officially launched the Labour Party’s Policy Review of Public Health in Birmingham. As part of this, I am travelling to every region in England to continue the conversation. So far, I have visited Manchester, Newcastle, Plymouth, Norwich, and Leeds, and I will be coming to a town near you soon. The purpose of these events is to ask Local Authorities and party members to address certain questions, explore fresh ideas and share best practice.

The approach I am building for Labour on public health is not about banning things, but rather about empowering communities, strengthening families to do the right thing, and helping to provide the civic space that Britain needs. My priority is making sure Labour Party members lead this discussion.

But I also want to make sure the best and the brightest ideas from around the world are heard. We have set up an advisory committee on Public Health policy, and are doing work on international public health policy.

This month, I visited Copenhagen, where I met with Astrid Krag MP, Minister for Health & Prevention, Ms Sophie Haestrop Andersen MP, the Social Democratic Party Spokesperson for Health and Member of the Health Committee, Mr Flemming Moller Mortensen MP, Chair of Health Committee, Social Democratic Party and Mette Skouboe, Political Advisor.

Public health outcomes in Denmark have declined since the 1950s when Danes lived longer than virtually anyone else in the world. To counter this, Denmark has driven forward a number of brave and bold public health reforms and I wanted to know more.

One of the things the Danish Government has tried is using fiscal measures to address public health issues like obesity and have recently had to withdraw the ‘fat tax’. It was administered in a very bureaucratic way, the health benefits were not immediate or obvious, it raised the price of certain dairy and meat products in supermarkets, and cross border issues arose as Danes drove to Germany to buy butter and milk. Manufacturers and the food industry complained about job losses and the impact on the Danish economy, which isn’t in recession but isn’t growing very fast either.

I wanted to listen and learn. And it is clear that there is no way forward in making food more expensive for families. It wouldn’t work for hard-pressed British families either. Yet there is much to learn from Denmark, on urban planning, their bicycle culture, and the way local authorities have been given incentives to focus on prevention.

In Britain, people are living longer, more stressful lives, where consumption has become everything. We have big public health problems that speak to people’s sense of wellbeing and emotional resilience. That’s why I think we must put families at the heart of the debate on public health. That’s why I want to hear the biggest and boldest ideas. And that’s why I think the change we need, to turn around the direction this government has set, is huge.

Diane Abbott is a Shadow Health Minister