ASIDE from destroying his party's seemingly unassailable lead in the polls, Boris Johnson says the coronavirus crisis has had a profound impact on him personally.
The Prime Minister – who previously stated he was a “libertarian” when it comes to tackling obesity – is now heading up a healthy eating campaign.
He said the pandemic has changed his views on the matter as he launched the UK Government’s Better Health scheme to tackle obesity in England.
The proposals would ban buy one get one free deals on unhealthy food, change labelling and hand GPs the power to prescribe patients exercise.
The campaign has necessitated a change in tone from the PM, who showed his everyman credentials by walking his dog around his country estate in a promotion video.
READ MORE: This Times letter absolutely nails Boris Johnson’s laughable leadership
Further proving the party’s level of self-awareness is Tory member Annunziata Rees-Mogg.
Jacob’s sister and the former Brexit Party MEP has delighted Twitter users with her contribution to the debate on healthy eating.
Responding to concerns that the new proposals will not help disadvantaged people, she produced her own Marie Antoinette moment, saying that a bag of potatoes is cheaper than a bag of chips.
Explaining her rationale, she tweeted: “The oft repeated but inaccurate belief that low quality/ unhealthy food is *always* cheaper than raw ingredients is part of the problem. It’s why learning to buy/ budget for food is important alongside learning to cook.”
The oft repeated but inaccurate belief that low quality/ unhealthy food is *always* cheaper than raw ingredients is part of the problem. It’s why learning to buy/ budget for food is important alongside learning to cook. https://t.co/P5BFr07fAN
— Annunziata Rees-Mogg (@zatzi) July 27, 2020
Onlookers weren’t too impressed.
Ethnobotanist and BBC science presenter James Wong pointed out the flaw in her logic.
Tesco sunflower oil: £1.10
— James Wong (@Botanygeek) July 29, 2020
So homemade chips in this example = £1.93 (40% higher)
So often people on twitter who lecture those less well off than themselves on the cost savings of understanding cooking, just display they themselves don’t.
Chips contain more than potatoes. https://t.co/ef90IHlMbn
Another Twitter user wrote: “I can only imagine how easy you think it is to be poor. Unhealthy food is always cheaper, you aren't taking into consideration the time it take to make meals. Time, the thing poor people don't have the luxury of as they are often working long hours or multiple jobs.”
“’Let them eat Tesco 1kg own brand potatoes’,” writer Otto English commented.
"Let them eat Tesco 1kg own brand potatoes." https://t.co/IdqIWwteoW
— Otto English (@Otto_English) July 29, 2020
Journalist Coco Khan added: “Can’t bear it when the wealthy act like they could do poverty better. Clueless! Yes, for a night you could make scratch chips for your family instead of oven. But try it EVERY NIGHT, after a shift for eff all money, in a tiny kitchen. A saving of what, 10p after oil? You’d switch.”
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