PEOPLE are incapable of saying no to junk food and other health risks, and it is the duty of the State to influence them, according to a senior public health official.

In defence of the “nanny state”, Professor Dr John Ashton, regional director of public health in the North West, said yesterday that government intervention was needed to protect those incapable of protecting themselves. “Individuals cannot protect themselves from bioterrorism, epidemics of Sars, the concerted efforts of the junk food industry, drug dealers and promoters of tobacco and alcohol,” he said.

“A civilised society will provide a legislative framework to protect people, and in particular the most vulnerable. Criticism of the nanny state is almost always misplaced and is frequently nonsensical.”

He said that it was the job of the State, not of the individual alone, to resist health problems brought about by drink, food or drugs. The State had a duty to protect and influence young people, many of whom were building up problems by adopting sedentary lifestyles and eating junk food.

“It is in no one’s interest to have an obese generation, riddled with diabetes and degenerative heart disease and a burden on the taxpayer,” he said. “The Government has a duty to take action about it.

“Over the past few years we have come to accept that the public has a right to know which surgeons have the best treatment results, and increasingly this kind of information is readily available on the internet and in newspapers. However, it is still almost impossible to find out easily how much sugar there is in a can of coke or how much fat is in a television dinner. The State is the guardian of the weak and underprivileged. It should intervene to encourage people to eat healthily and take exercise.

“Furthermore, it has a duty to ensure that those less well-off in society have safe, warm, low-cost housing, convenient transport links to shops and amenities, and the protection of police on the streets. The State is our protector and we must defend its right to fulfil that function.”

Professor Ashton is known for his provocative remarks. He has called for the legalisation of brothels in Liverpool, arguing that it is the only way to control prostitution there.

He has three grown-up sons, but recently became a father again with his partner Maggi Morris, 47, a director of public health in Preston. Their baby has been named Fabian Che Jed, after the Fabian Society, Che Guevara and the Old Testament prophet Jedediah.

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