‘Britain has a spiritual desert’: Jacob Rees-Mogg wades in as Boris Johnson blames Church for obesity crisis

"The Church is, and it's not just the Anglican Church, it may be our church [Catholic Church] too and the methodists, aren't filling that void enough," Rees-Mogg said.

"To some extent, people fill the void with other things," he added.

Jacob Rees-Mogg says Boris Johnson is correct 'to an extent'

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Boris Johnson has sparked controversy by blaming the Church of England for Britain's obesity crisis, claiming its failure to provide "spiritual sustenance" has led people to "gorge themselves".

The former prime minister made headlines with his stark comments about children's weight, saying that in his youth 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," Johnson said.

Johnson specifically criticised the Archbishop of Canterbury for not addressing people's spiritual needs, claiming religious leaders were failing to fill "an aching spiritual void".

Jacob Rees-Mogg spoke to Gavin Ashenden on GB News about Boris Johnson's comments

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Among children, 9.6 per cent in reception year and 22.1 per cent in year six were classified as obese in 2023-2024.

The Prime Minister's spokesperson appeared to dismiss Johnson's claims, telling journalists: "I didn't quite follow his line of argument."

They added that the government had taken "decisive action to tackle the obesity crisis", which impacts the economy and adds strain to the NHS.

Johnson's comments were made as part of a new report by businessman Henry Dimbleby, author of the National Food Strategy, and public health expert Dolly Van Tulleken.

Obesity is estimated to the cost the UK £98bn a year, roughly four per cent of GDPGETTY

The study interviewed three former prime ministers, including Johnson, and ten former health secretaries.

All former health secretaries admitted they hadn't done enough to tackle obesity while in office.

The report urges Labour leader Keir Starmer to take tougher action on diet-related ill health in the UK.