Nanny statism fears behind UK’s 30-year failure to tackle obesity, report says

IfG says Labour and Conservative governments have shied away from addressing subject seen as a minefield

• Timeline: UK governments’ approaches to obesity

Fears of “nanny statism” have led to a failure by every UK government of the last 30 years to tackle the obesity crisis, a report claims, as it emerged that the condition now costs the NHS £6.5bn a year.

Labour and Conservative governments have displayed a similar reluctance to get too closely involved in a subject widely seen as a minefield, according to the Institute for Government (IfG).