Boris Johnson’s controversial claim linking Britain’s obesity crisis to a “spiritual void” neglected by the Church of England has drawn support from another former Conservative MP, Jacob Rees-Mogg.
The former Prime Minister accused religious leaders, particularly Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, of failing to provide “spiritual sustenance”, pushing people to overeat instead.
Speaking to GB News, Rees-Mogg agreed that Britain faces a “spiritual desert”. Drawing on his experiences, he said “The Church – and it’s not just the Anglican Church, it may be our (Catholic) church too – and the Methodists, aren’t filling that void”.
Johnson’s comments, part of the Nourishing Britain report co-authored by Henry Dimbleby and Dolly van Tulleken, painted a stark picture of the country’s health.
The former prime minister said that when he was younger, it was “very rare for there to be a fatso in the class. Now they’re all fatsos, and I’d be shot for saying they’re fatsos, but it’s the truth”.
He criticised the Most Rev. Justin Welby and other religious leaders for going on about slavery reparations rather than addressing the “spiritual void” in people’s lives.
Johnson said this failure was leading to a decline in church attendance.
“The living bread is being provided by Tesco” he said.
“And they’re gorging themselves on the real living bread.”
Decisive action on obesity
Rees-Mogg’s endorsement comes amidst broader political criticism. A government spokesperson distanced Downing Street from Johnson’s remarks, stating the government has already taken “decisive action” on obesity, which strains the NHS and the economy.
Figures underline the scale of the issue: 64% of adults in England were overweight or obese in 2022-2023. Among children, 22.1% of Year 6 pupils were classified as obese in 2023-2024.
The Nourishing Britain report interviewed three former prime ministers and ten ex-health secretaries, all admitting they hadn’t done enough to tackle obesity while in office.
The report urges current UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer to take tougher action on diet-related ill health in the UK.
Sources