Health Secretary Matt Hancock declares war on Nanny State and claims a pint a day is good for you
Mr Hancock also argued against a booze tax and said it was time to stop punishing everyone for the excesses of the few
MATT Hancock declared war on the nanny state yesterday by arguing against a booze tax and saying a pint was “perfectly healthy”.
The Health Secretary added that it was time to stop “punishing” everybody by issuing diktats to the entire nation – and to instead target public health messages to those who need it.
It came as Theresa May prepared to unveil the details of the Government’s £20.5billion, 10-year plan to safeguard the NHS later this morning.
Mr Hancock said a key part of the plan would be to use social media to target messages about junk food, smoking or drinking to those patients who place the heaviest burden on cash-strapped hospitals.
And in a huge victory for campaigners, he said he was against minimum price for alcohol – which has already been introduced in Scotland at 50p per unit.
He told Sky News: “Five per cent of people drank a third of all the alcohol in the country, yet many of us like a nice pint and it’s perfectly healthy.
“I think instead of things like minimum unit pricing that some suggest, we should target measures.”
Labour’s Shadow Health Secretary Jon Ashworth yesterday confirmed a Jeremy Corbyn Government would tax milkshakes.
Mr Hancock’s comments also come in stark contrast to his predecessor Jeremy Hunt – who last year indicated he was in favour of a minimum price on booze.
And three years ago Chief Medical Officer Dame Sally Davies warned women to think about the risk of developing cancer when they pour themselves a glass of wine.
At the time, she said: “Drinking any level of alcohol regularly carries a health risk for anyone.”
Chris Snowdon of the Institute of Economic Affairs told The Sun: “If the Government is serious about helping those who want help without compromising freedom, it should repeal the slew of nanny state policies that have been introduced in the past 15 years.
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WE’RE raising a glass to Matt Hancock and Liz Truss, both of whom yesterday pledged to stop the Nanny State’s unrelenting advance.
Meanwhile the Shadow Health Sec- retary is pledging to put more taxes on sugar and salt, like some pea-shooting Dirty Harry taking on Big Salt.
The PM has been all too willing to give in to the hectoring of nonsense quangos such as Public Health England, with a soft drinks tax already hitting shoppers.
We hope she listens to her Cabinet..
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“And he should shut down Public Health England.”
Sophie Jarvis of the Adam Smith Institute added: “Matt Hancock’s announcement sounds great but the proof will be in the pudding. Literally if he chooses to impose mandatory calorie counts on menus, for example.”
She added: “Clearly within the Conservative Party there’s still a debate between the nanny statists and those who don’t want to micro manage our meals. And for the past few years at least, the nanny statists have reigned supreme.”
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Matt Hancock has risked a backlash by saying the Government’s social care policy paper faces fresh delays.
Challenged over a date, the Health Secretary would only reply “soon”.
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