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Sir Keir Starmer has defended Labour against suggestions it wants to introduce a “nanny state”, saying he would intervene to make British children healthier and to extend their life expectancy if he wins the next election.

The Labour leader blamed the Conservative party’s “neglect” for Britain’s slide down international league tables for height and obesity among children, and decried stalling life expectancy and the deterioration of dental health in the age group.

He claimed his “child health action plan” could be funded by taxes aimed at the wealthy, including the ending of tax breaks for private schools, abolishing loopholes for private equity managers and abolishing non-domiciled status, which exempts people from paying UK tax on foreign income.

As parties prepare for the general election expected this year, Conservative MPs have questioned the amount of money that could be raised by such tax increases.

Labour’s child health plan is underpinned by a series of state interventions. Some, such as a national supervised teethbrushing programme for three-to-five-year-olds at breakfast clubs, have been criticised as evidence of the state trying to take over the role of parents.

Other policies include a 9pm watershed for junk food advertising on television, a ban on vapes being targeted at children, a free breakfast club in every primary school and a big investment in mental health support.

Starmer has also promised more NHS investment in treating children and creating 700,000 extra dental appointments per year.

The Labour leader said the state had a key role to play in improving the health of children, even if parents were primarily responsible. “This stuff about the ‘nanny state’ — I want to take that argument on,” he said.

He said the biggest cause of admissions to hospital for children aged 6-10 was tooth decay, a situation he called “scandalous”. He added: “It is our business. It’s about the health of children. But it is also costing the taxpayer a fortune.”

Starmer blamed Conservative government policies for contributing to poor child health. “If it was a parent that treated children this badly, they would probably be charged with neglect,” he said, ahead of a visit to Manchester.

He cited data that showed the UK’s position in international height rankings for five-year-old girls had fallen 27 places since 1985, and for five-year-old boys it had dropped 33 places.

A global analysis of height differentials between nations conducted by researchers at Imperial College London in 2020 identified poor nutrition as a key contributor to the UK’s falling height ranking.

Sarah Woolnough, chief executive of The King’s Fund think-tank, said it was “very encouraging to see the breadth of activity Labour are planning”. But, she added, “any government that wants to address issues such as childhood obesity will need to go further and faster”.

Andrea Leadsom, the Conservative government’s public health minister, said: “Labour’s unfunded promises on healthcare in England would cost taxpayers billions, in addition to the £28bn year by 2030 spending promise they have already committed to and would inevitably hike up taxes to fund”.  

“This is the same old Labour of more spending and more taxes,” she said.

“The Conservative government is taking the long-term decisions to protect the health of future generations — including creating a new smoke-free generation, protecting all our children from harmful vaping and creating family hubs across England to support every family to give their baby the best start for life.”