‘Labour’s next big win is children’s health – but only if it acts now’

Just before Christmas, I briefly found myself in the corridor of Number 10 speaking with the Prime Minister. The conversation was short, but memorable. Sir Keir Starmer spoke about his ambition to build “the healthiest generation ever” and the role young people themselves are playing in pushing the government to go further.

For the teenagers and students I work with at Bite Back – young campaigners who challenge junk food marketing, give evidence in Parliament and organise campaigns in their schools and communities – those words matter. They signal that the government recognises both the urgency of the crisis and the determination of a new generation to change it.

But ambition alone does not transform a system.

Over recent months our young activists have met ministers across government to talk about the food environments they are growing up in. Recently, a group met Minister Olivia Bailey to discuss the reality of navigating school food systems that often push unhealthy options at every turn. Late last year they raised similar concerns with her predecessor, Stephen Morgan, including calls to expand free school meals to all children on universal credit and strengthen school food standards.

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They have also spoken directly with ministers about the proposed ban on high-caffeine energy drinks for under-16s, describing how exam seasons are saturated with energy drink advertising and how classroom “caffeine crashes” have become part of the school day.

These conversations have been constructive and encouraging. Ministers have listened. But listening must now be matched with action.

Because Britain’s child health crisis is not abstract. It is something families experience every day.

Today more than one in three children are leaving primary school at risk of developing food-related illnesses such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease and tooth decay. In many communities unhealthy ultra-processed foods surround children – on high streets, on bus routes, across social media feeds and sometimes even within school environments. Bite Back’s research also shows that children in the most disadvantaged areas suffer the greatest exposure.

This is the product of a food system that has tilted too far towards corporate interests and too far away from the health of children.

And tackling it is not just socially necessary – it is politically smart.

Since the Gorton and Denton by-election, commentators have debated whether Labour should move left or right to rebuild support. But there is another path: focusing on practical policies that unite voters across the political spectrum.\Children’s health is one of them.

Research consistently shows that the public strongly backs measures to improve the nation’s health and protect children from aggressive junk food marketing. Polling from organisations including Public First and IPPR has found voters across parties supporting stronger interventions — and crucially, they see them as common sense.

Parents want healthier environments for their children. Schools want the resources to provide nutritious meals. And young people themselves increasingly recognise how the systems around them shape their choices.

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At Bite Back we hear this every day. Young campaigners talk about takeaway outlets clustered around their schools. They talk about social media feeds saturated with junk food advertising. They talk about the difficulty of finding affordable healthier options when unhealthy food is cheaper, louder and more visible.

Their message is consistent: the food system is failing them, and they want the government to accelerate action.

School food is one critical place to start. Schools are one of the few environments where the government can guarantee access to nutritious meals regardless of background. But that promise only holds if school food standards are updated, properly funded and effectively enforced.

Advertising rules are another. Closing loopholes in existing restrictions would significantly reduce the relentless marketing pressure placed on children and families.

And the proposed Healthy Food Standard – which would require major food companies to report on and improve the healthiness of the products they sell – offers a rare opportunity to shift the system itself, nudging companies to provide healthier and more affordable options.

None of these policies are radical. Nor are they new. They are evidence-based steps that public health experts and campaigners have advocated for years.

But they will only succeed if the government holds its nerve.

Because when reforms begin to affect commercial interests, corporate lobbying inevitably follows. We have seen this pattern repeatedly: delay, dilute and deflect – leaving loopholes that weaken the very policies designed to protect children’s health.

This is precisely the moment when political leadership matters most.

The Prime Minister has said he wants to build the healthiest generation of children in our country’s history. That is an ambition worthy of any government. But ambitions become legacies only when they are backed by decisive policy action.

The path forward is clear.

Close loopholes in junk food advertising restrictions so they genuinely reduce children’s exposure to unhealthy marketing.

Implement the Healthy Food Standard in full so major food companies play their part in improving the nation’s diet.

And ensure school food reforms are ambitious enough for this moment – raising standards, improving funding and properly enforcing the rules so every child has access to nutritious meals.

Taken together, these measures would represent one of the most significant improvements to Britain’s food system in a generation.

They would also send another message: that when young people speak up about the systems shaping their health, the government is willing to listen and act.

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The young people I work with understand this is not only the right thing to do – it is the politically smart thing to do. They are organising campaigns, meeting ministers and pushing for change because they know their health depends on it.

Now the government must show the same determination.

Labour’s next big win is children’s health – but only if it acts now

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