Hug a fatty, says minister

Health Secretary Alan Johnson today called for an end to stigmatising the obese.

The Cabinet minister warned that "vilifying" fat people will not make them lose weight or solve Britain's obesity "epidemic".

Instead, Mr Johnson proposed a national campaign tackling unhealthy lifestyles.

His comments come only a week after David Cameron said the overweight had only themselves to blame and they must take personal responsibility for their condition.

But in a speech to the Fabian Society in London, Mr Johnson made a veiled attack on the Conservative leader by saying the Government does not have a licence to "hector" and "lecture" people on how they live their life.

Mr Johnson said: "Just as the Government has a moral duty to tackle poverty and exclusion, so it also has a duty to address obesity. But this is not a licence to hector and lecture people on how they should spend their lives - not least because this will not work.

"Research shows us that vilifying the extremely fat doesn't make people change their behaviour. Commentators who point and shout at pictures of the morbidly obese simply fuel the problem.

"Those whose seriously unhealthy lifestyles are not advertised by their waist lines will simply say: 'Well that's not me. I don't need to change what I do.' But if you present the message more intelligently ... then people respond."

Ministers have already issued a national action plan to get the nation to lose weight including rewards for people who slim down and free weight loss classes.

But obesity remains the most significant health issue facing the country. Two-thirds of adults and a third of British children are either overweight or obese and this could land the NHS with a £50billion bill by 2050 because of weight-related health problems including diabetes, cancer and heart disease.

Similarly, increasing numbers are resorting to weight loss surgery in an attempt to slim down.

They include television presenter Fern Britton who made headlines when it was revealed she had a gastric band fitted after insisting her weight loss was purely the product of a healthy exercise regime.

But thousands of severely overweight Londoners are to be fast-tracked into having weight loss operations as part of a "Change for Life" campaign. At least nine hospitals in the capital have been selected to carry out these radical treatments.

Mr Johnson revealed he had already held talks with health charities, doctors and community action groups about putting together a national movement to support everyone to get healthy.

He said: "This national movement for change will enable every citizen in the country at every stage of their lives to get the encouragement and support they need to be healthy - from what they see on the television, to what they buy in the local supermarket."

However, some campaigners complained that they had not been consulted about the new strategy.