Here’s a digest of Henry Dimbleby and Dr Dolly van Tulleken’s report, Nourishing Britain: a Political Manual for Improving the Nation’s Health. With thanks to our Policy Champion, Ali Morpeth, for her help digesting it.

“The looming shadow of Nanny has, for decades, served as the single most powerful rhetorical deterrent against effective public health policies” (Nourishing Britain)

What’s the report about?

A how-to (and how not-to) manual for current and future politicians about tackling the UK’s diet-related ill-health. Based on interviews with former PMs and other senior politicians from 1990 onwards, the report digs into what has prevented/ enabled successive governments to tackle the issue.

Who was interviewed?

Three former prime ministers, one deputy prime minister, 10 former health secretaries, six other former and serving politicians…and a partridge in a pear tree, including; Tony Blair, David Cameron, Boris Johnson, George Osborne, Nick Clegg, Alan Milburn, Patricia Hewitt, Jeremy Hunt, Matt Hancock, Alan Johnson and Michael Gove.

What was the advice from politicians?

Be bold…move fast, before you get bogged down. Have a clear sense of what you want to achieve and aim high. Don’t leave office wishing you’d done more.

What have politicians tried to do on obesity? 

Politicians have seen the obesity crisis coming and have tried to avert it. Since the early 1990s, governments of various political parties have published 14 different obesity strategies, containing almost 700 individual policy suggestions. But politics has got in the way and the vast majority of policies have been abandoned, derailed, watered down, delayed into extinction, lost in the system or forgotten altogether.

Major political obstacles to tackling food-related ill health – as identified by former politicians: 

1. Accusations of ‘Nanny statism’: Any political attempt to influence how people eat is attacked by libertarians in Westminster and the right-wing media as interfering, joyless and ‘nanny statist’, even though the public does not tend to share this view. This generates political anxiety and leads to inaction.
2. Fear of impact on business: Government faces a conflict of interest in its relationship with industry. Most politicians recognise that the rise of food-related ill health has been commercially driven. But they often feel unable to legislate, because of industry lobbying and fears about the impact on businesses and the wider economy.
3. The crisis has crept up gradually: Because it has overwhelmed us gradually, the problem of food-related disease has never made it to the top of the political agenda. With so many other pressing issues in the 24 hour news cycle, this one has not received the necessary focus and energy.
4. Disjointed government responsibility: Multiple actions are required to tackle obesity – with consequences that are not always predictable – and responsibility is spread across multiple government departments. Instead, responsibility is scattered across government. This makes it extremely difficult to create the collaborative momentum required to force through change.

Change can still happen! – say former politicians:

Despite the challenges, political leaders are optimistic about tackling food-related ill health. Those interviewed for this report say;

• The levers exist: Former health secretary Alan Milburn emphasises a mechanistic approach — pulling the right ‘ding-ding-ding’ levers in sync. The trick is mobilising multiple departments to act at once towards a common goal.

• It’s achievable: George Osborne, architect of the sugar tax, believes progress can be delivered quickly with straightforward policies. If you move fast and aim high you can see measurable rewards in a single parliamentary term.

• Compelling storytelling is essential: Seema Kennedy stressed the power of hope and narrative to inspire change. The art of a good story is a political superpower. Combine it with evidence, policy ideas and framing to make an irrefutable case for support.

• Focus on children: Policies targeting child health resonate most with voters. It takes a village to raise a policy, but the public don’t need persuading, they already want strong government action on healthy diets.

Ingredients for success – as identified by former politicians:

1. Deploy a compelling argument: A powerful, persuasive story is a political superpower. Combine an abundance of evidence with careful framing, and use existing or well-researched policy ideas to make an irrefutable case. No need to reinvent the wheel – there are effective policy solutions ready to go.

2. Build a movement: The public doesn’t need much persuading: it already wants strong government action on the food industry, and help to access healthy food. But marshalling support both inside and outside Westminster is crucial for getting the right policies in place and fully implemented. Nothing worth achieving can be achieved alone.

3. Enlist the Prime Minister: Food-related ill health should be a prime ministerial priority. The prime minister has the power to unify government around a common goal, pushing it to the top of the agenda and authorising multiple departments to pull the necessary levers. (At a local level, the same is true of regional mayors.)

4. Be bold, act fast, no regrets: Changing policy is hard, particularly on food-related matters. But if you move fast and aim high you can leave a clear legacy, with measurable rewards reaped in single parliamentary terms. Our interviewees urged their successors not to leave office wishing they had done more.

“What’s needed now is political courage, cross-party collaboration, and bold action. This is about more than health – it’s about equity, opportunity, and the economy. As Tony Blair said, ‘health is a national asset’. Let’s act like it. Kudos to Dolly van Tulleken and Henry Dimbleby for their new report” – our Policy Champion, Ali Morpeth.

Read the Nourishing Britain report