Obesity epidemic costs Britain nearly £100bn and will scupper back-to-work push for Sunak

3 December 2023, 23:46 | Updated: 4 December 2023, 00:03

Brits lose £100billion each year due to the UK obesity crisis with the epidemic set to scupper the Government's drive to get people back to work.

Former Government food and drink tsar Henry Dimbleby warns that £98bn in public money is being lost because of overweight Brits.

The figure is expected to balloon further in the coming years to £110bn - with Dimbleby warning that that this figure will likely scupper Government plans to get people on benefits back to work.

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Prime Minister Rishi Sunak plans to launch a 'work from home' drive in a bid to get sick Brits off benefits and into a job.

Under the plans, which will be launched as part of a series of measures in Wednesday's Autumn Statement, hundreds of thousands of disabled Brits will be told to look for jobs they can do from home, The Times reports.

That includes Brits with mobility and mental health problems.

If not, they could have their benefits reduced by nearly £4,700 a year. It will apply to all new benefit claimants from 2025.

Meanwhile, existing claimants will reportedly be given assurances that their right to benefits will not be re-assessed if they look for a job they can do from home.