Continued from (1)
«Keir Starmer has said he is ‘up for that fight’ on toothbrushing. The Labour leader was not in fact volunteering to personally ensure that all recalcitrant children and teenagers spend two minutes brushing twice a day, though that really is a fight. He was saying that he is keen for a scrap over whether Labour is embracing the nanny state with the announcement of a £3 million national toothbrushing scheme whereby children are supervised brushing their teeth in schools.
The Tories have accused the Labour leader of missing all the hard work they are already doing on dental health, with Health Secretary Victoria Atkins saying ministers ‘very much believe in supporting our parents and supporting our families’ rather than mandated brushing sessions. But it’s interesting that Labour is leaning in to what would previously have been caricatured as bossy politics. Shadow education secretary Bridget Phillipson this week criticised parents who let their children miss school for sniffles, holidays and just because they weren’t feeling like it. Now Starmer and his shadow health secretary Wes Streeting are promising a child health action plan which includes this toothbrushing proposal in response to growing concern from clinicians about the number of children with cavities and even such bad tooth decay that they are needing full dental clearances.»
The battle of the toothbrush, The Spectator newletter
Sem comentários:
Enviar um comentário