Weight Loss Medication

Lord Forsyth of Drumlean Excerpts

Monday 21st July 2025 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Blake of Leeds (Lab)]

My noble friend raises an important point. I would not stand at the Front Bench and counter what he has said. I will be very happy to pick up his ideas after this session and look at all the innovative ways in which we can take future work forward.

[Lord Forsyth of Drumlean (Con)]

I congratulate the noble Lord, Lord Watts. For once I find myself in complete agreement with him. Is he not right in saying that we should be tackling the causes not the symptoms, and that the causes lie with food manufacturers, which deliberately produce products that are addictive and processed, and form the cheaper foods diet of people in our country? The time has come to take action other than just trying to prevent advertising to children.

[Baroness Blake of Leeds (Lab)]

I am delighted to hear the intervention from the other Benches. This is something to be welcomed. Obesity is complex. I would not like to stand here and put it down to one cause. There are multiple causes, as we heard earlier, around mental health and so many other issues. Everything needs to be on the table. It is a serious issue, costing this country, and other countries around the world, dearly. We need to look at every possible outcome.