Labour will ban junk food adverts from prime time television – Ashworth

Labour has stepped up its war on child obesity by pledging to ban adverts for junk food from primetime television programmes.

The move would halt advertising for junk food until after the 9pm watershed, which the party believes, would reduce children’s exposure to the promotions by 82 per cent.

Jon Ashworth, Labour’s shadow health secretary, today unveiled a raft of policies in his bid to make Britain’s children “the healthiest in the world”. He said it was important to be “ambitious” on this, because it affects our children.

He pledged to halve childhood obesity within 10 years, ban junk food advertising before the watershed, ensure extra funding for child and adolescent mental health services and create £250m fund to support the strategy – paid for by clamping down on management consultancy costs in the NHS.

Meanwhile, Labour has pledged to scrap hospital car parking charges, paid for by raising tax on private healthcare.

Ashworth said: “The scandal of child ill-health is a long-standing, growing and urgent challenge. It should be matter of shame that a child’s health is so closely linked to poverty and that where and in what circumstances you grow up can dramatically affect your life chances.

“Evidence shows the link between deprivation and poor health in childhood, so with child poverty on the rise, the need for action becomes more acute.

“The UK has one of the worst childhood obesity rates in Western Europe. Tooth decay is the single most common reason why children aged five to nine require admission to hospital. Around 13 per cent of boys and 10 per cent of girls aged 11-15 have mental health problems.

“When it comes to our children we should be ambitious. It’s time we invested properly in the health of the next generation. That means the sort of bold action we are outlining today to tackle obesity and invest in mental health provision.

“Labour will put children at the heart our health strategy and put measures in place to make Britain’s children the healthiest in the world.”