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| Tory leadership: Boris Johnson accused of 'dog-whistle politics' over plan to curb 'sin taxes' - live news | Tory leadership: Boris Johnson accused of 'dog-whistle politics' over plan to curb 'sin taxes' - live news |
| (31 minutes later) | |
| The Times’ Matt Chorley says Boris Johnson used to favour sugar taxes. | |
| This is the same Boris Johnson who as London Mayor introduced a sugar tax in City Hall, declaring: “I hope this initiative will allow us to raise awareness of the problem and encourage people to think about their diets.”https://t.co/Ae2DvsdSm8 2/7 | |
| This is the same Boris Johnson who said in 2015 that tackling obesity was "a matter of social justice". "Overwhelmingly people most affected by an obesity problem will be those on the lowest incomes. That’s why I’m thinking about sugar taxes."https://t.co/9oWB0g9I8B 3/7 | |
| Chorley also says that one of his Johnson’s advisers has been involved in lobbying against the sugar tax. | |
| Will Walden, Johnson's key adviser and former director of comms at City Hall, is employed by Edelman and has advised Coca-Cola on lobbying against the sugar tax. (Team Johnson insist Walden was not involved in new policy) 4/7 | |
| Sky’s Sam Coates identifies another figure linked to the Johnson campaign who has a record of opposing sugar taxes. | |
| Revealed: Sir Lynton Crosby’s business partner Mark Textor condemned sugar taxes in 2016 article. CTF running the Boris Johnson campaign https://t.co/Dz0jxTFHHH… pic.twitter.com/SoGQLyfsz8 | |
| Here is a better link to the article Coates is referring to. | |
| In relation to these last two tweets, it is worth pointing out that establishing that ‘X favours policy Z, X advises/gets a job with/donates to politician Y, then Y implements policy Z’ may look unsavoury but normally isn’t. It is more often just a case of people in politics choosing to work for, or take advice from, people who share their views. | |
| On the Today programme Camilla Cavendish, who used to be director at policy at Downing Street for David Cameron, said that she used to share Boris Johnson’s scepticism about “sin taxes” like the sugar levy but that she changed her mind. She told the programme: | On the Today programme Camilla Cavendish, who used to be director at policy at Downing Street for David Cameron, said that she used to share Boris Johnson’s scepticism about “sin taxes” like the sugar levy but that she changed her mind. She told the programme: |
| I think [Johnson] is wrong. I used to think we shouldn’t use government to influence people’s choices. But I changed my mind, really for three reasons. | I think [Johnson] is wrong. I used to think we shouldn’t use government to influence people’s choices. But I changed my mind, really for three reasons. |
| First of all I became a parent and I saw how much junk manufacturers are pushing down or children’s throats. | First of all I became a parent and I saw how much junk manufacturers are pushing down or children’s throats. |
| But I also became concerned about obesity and type two diabetes, which is costing the NHS a lot of money and is really a miserable, miserable condition. And it’s the children who are from the poorest incomes who are most affected by obesity, which is one of the main reasons we did introduce the sugar tax because we felt it was an issue of social justice in some ways. Boris is talking about not clobbering people on lower incomes. But that tax is one way to help people just drink better. | But I also became concerned about obesity and type two diabetes, which is costing the NHS a lot of money and is really a miserable, miserable condition. And it’s the children who are from the poorest incomes who are most affected by obesity, which is one of the main reasons we did introduce the sugar tax because we felt it was an issue of social justice in some ways. Boris is talking about not clobbering people on lower incomes. But that tax is one way to help people just drink better. |
| And the third reason I became convinced about all this is I read the research which shows that sugar is a subject as nicotine. And that’s partly why so many of our public health programmes haven’t worked because we all find it really hard to give up. | And the third reason I became convinced about all this is I read the research which shows that sugar is a subject as nicotine. And that’s partly why so many of our public health programmes haven’t worked because we all find it really hard to give up. |
| Say what you like about Boris Johnson - and we will, at length - but the favourite in the Tory leadership contest clearly has some exceptionally skills not shared by less mortals. For example, who else could make the Westminster commentariat feel sorry for Matt Hancock? | Say what you like about Boris Johnson - and we will, at length - but the favourite in the Tory leadership contest clearly has some exceptionally skills not shared by less mortals. For example, who else could make the Westminster commentariat feel sorry for Matt Hancock? |
| Hancock, the health secretary, did not get very far in the Tory leadership contest, but he campaigned with some energy and imagination and emerged with his reputation enhanced. Then he decided to endorse Johnson and, in an excruciating Today programme on Monday, devoted to explaining why he was going back on everything he said about Johnson earlier, any credit he had gained himself evaporated. And now it has got worse. As my colleague Heather Stewart explains, Johnson is trampling all over one of Hancock’s key policy initiatives. | Hancock, the health secretary, did not get very far in the Tory leadership contest, but he campaigned with some energy and imagination and emerged with his reputation enhanced. Then he decided to endorse Johnson and, in an excruciating Today programme on Monday, devoted to explaining why he was going back on everything he said about Johnson earlier, any credit he had gained himself evaporated. And now it has got worse. As my colleague Heather Stewart explains, Johnson is trampling all over one of Hancock’s key policy initiatives. |
| Here is Heather’s story. | Here is Heather’s story. |
| Boris Johnson vows to review whether sugar tax improves health | Boris Johnson vows to review whether sugar tax improves health |
| And this is how it starts. | And this is how it starts. |
| Boris Johnson has announced a wide-ranging review of “sin stealth taxes” just days before his high-profile supporter Matt Hancock, the health secretary, is due to publish a green paper advocating extending the sugar tax to milkshakes. | Boris Johnson has announced a wide-ranging review of “sin stealth taxes” just days before his high-profile supporter Matt Hancock, the health secretary, is due to publish a green paper advocating extending the sugar tax to milkshakes. |
| The policy green paper called Advancing our Health – Prevention in the 2020s, has been circulating among cabinet ministers this week and is due to be published in the next few days. | The policy green paper called Advancing our Health – Prevention in the 2020s, has been circulating among cabinet ministers this week and is due to be published in the next few days. |
| A draft seen by the Guardian includes widely trailed plans to extend the sugar tax to “sugary milk drinks … if the evidence shows that industry has not made enough progress on reducing sugar”. It also announces a ban on the sale of energy drinks to under-16s, alongside a slew of other policies aimed at improving public health. | A draft seen by the Guardian includes widely trailed plans to extend the sugar tax to “sugary milk drinks … if the evidence shows that industry has not made enough progress on reducing sugar”. It also announces a ban on the sale of energy drinks to under-16s, alongside a slew of other policies aimed at improving public health. |
| The government has been consulting on the proposals for months and Hancock’s junior minister, Seema Kennedy, had been expected to launch the green paper within days. However, in his latest headline-grabbing campaign pledge, Johnson said he would carry out a review of whether “stealth sin taxes” were successful in changing behaviour and whether they disproportionately affected poorer consumers. | The government has been consulting on the proposals for months and Hancock’s junior minister, Seema Kennedy, had been expected to launch the green paper within days. However, in his latest headline-grabbing campaign pledge, Johnson said he would carry out a review of whether “stealth sin taxes” were successful in changing behaviour and whether they disproportionately affected poorer consumers. |
| Johnson is not yet committing to reverse the sugar tax introduced in 2016. The press release issued by his team last night says he is just committing to “a comprehensive review into the effectiveness of the ‘sin taxes’ - including products high in salt, fat or sugar - and to assess whether or not these taxes unfairly hit those on lower incomes”, and to promising not to extend these taxes until the review has been completed. But the press notice also says Johnson has already promised not to extend the sugar tax to sugary milk drinks (aka, the milkshake tax), and the Sun newspaper has this morning welcomed Johnson’s announcement as a victory for its Hands Off Our Grub anti sugar tax campaign, and so it is not hard to guess where this is all heading. | Johnson is not yet committing to reverse the sugar tax introduced in 2016. The press release issued by his team last night says he is just committing to “a comprehensive review into the effectiveness of the ‘sin taxes’ - including products high in salt, fat or sugar - and to assess whether or not these taxes unfairly hit those on lower incomes”, and to promising not to extend these taxes until the review has been completed. But the press notice also says Johnson has already promised not to extend the sugar tax to sugary milk drinks (aka, the milkshake tax), and the Sun newspaper has this morning welcomed Johnson’s announcement as a victory for its Hands Off Our Grub anti sugar tax campaign, and so it is not hard to guess where this is all heading. |
| Overnight Steve Brine, who was public health minister until he resigned over Brexit earlier this year, has accused Johnson of ‘transparent dog whistle politics”. | Overnight Steve Brine, who was public health minister until he resigned over Brexit earlier this year, has accused Johnson of ‘transparent dog whistle politics”. |
| As the Public Health Minister who oversaw the introduction of the sugary drinks levy, I totally despair at this. Transparent dog whistle politics dressed up as something thinking. It is the exact opposite. https://t.co/zYPdIEjAMq | As the Public Health Minister who oversaw the introduction of the sugary drinks levy, I totally despair at this. Transparent dog whistle politics dressed up as something thinking. It is the exact opposite. https://t.co/zYPdIEjAMq |
| I will post more reaction shortly. | I will post more reaction shortly. |
| Here is the agenda for the day. | Here is the agenda for the day. |
| 10am: Liam Fox, the international trade secretary, gives evidence to the international trade committee. | 10am: Liam Fox, the international trade secretary, gives evidence to the international trade committee. |
| 10.30am: High court judges give their reasons for the decision not to allow Boris Johnson to be prosecuted for misconduct in public office over false claims in the EU referendum campaign. | 10.30am: High court judges give their reasons for the decision not to allow Boris Johnson to be prosecuted for misconduct in public office over false claims in the EU referendum campaign. |
| 12pm: Theresa May faces Jeremy Corbyn at PMQs. | 12pm: Theresa May faces Jeremy Corbyn at PMQs. |
| 3.30pm: Peers debate a motion to create a joint committee of MPs and peers to consider the impact of a no-deal Brexit. | 3.30pm: Peers debate a motion to create a joint committee of MPs and peers to consider the impact of a no-deal Brexit. |
| As usual, I will be covering breaking political news as it happens, as well as bringing you the best reaction, comment and analysis from the web, although I will be focusing mostly on the Tory leadership contest. I plan to publish a summary at lunchtime and then another when I finish. | As usual, I will be covering breaking political news as it happens, as well as bringing you the best reaction, comment and analysis from the web, although I will be focusing mostly on the Tory leadership contest. I plan to publish a summary at lunchtime and then another when I finish. |
| You can read all the latest Guardian politics articles here. Here is the Politico Europe roundup of this morning’s political news. And here is the PoliticsHome list of today’s top 10 must-reads. | You can read all the latest Guardian politics articles here. Here is the Politico Europe roundup of this morning’s political news. And here is the PoliticsHome list of today’s top 10 must-reads. |
| If you want to follow me or contact me on Twitter, I’m on @AndrewSparrow. | If you want to follow me or contact me on Twitter, I’m on @AndrewSparrow. |
| I try to monitor the comments below the line (BTL) but it is impossible to read them all. If you have a direct question, do include “Andrew” in it somewhere and I’m more likely to find it. I do try to answer questions, and if they are of general interest, I will post the question and reply above the line (ATL), although I can’t promise to do this for everyone. | I try to monitor the comments below the line (BTL) but it is impossible to read them all. If you have a direct question, do include “Andrew” in it somewhere and I’m more likely to find it. I do try to answer questions, and if they are of general interest, I will post the question and reply above the line (ATL), although I can’t promise to do this for everyone. |
| If you want to attract my attention quickly, it is probably better to use Twitter. | If you want to attract my attention quickly, it is probably better to use Twitter. |