Streeting: Half my colleagues use weight-loss jabs
The Health Secretary said the slimming drugs were 'the talk of the House of Commons' as he pledged to widen access.
Robert Jenrick and Nadine Dorries are among the politicians who have admitted taking weight-loss jabs.
The drugs, which include Wegovy and Mounjaro, were originally designed to treat Type 2 diabetes but are now in widespread use by those looking to lose weight.
Speaking on LBC, Mr Streeting said: 'Weight-loss jabs are the talk of the House of Commons. Half my colleagues are on them and are judging the rest of us, saying 'You lot should be on them'.'
Mr Jenrick, the shadow justice secretary, admitted to taking Ozempic last year but said he stopped after 'a short period of time'.
He said: 'To be honest, I was overweight. I took Ozempic for a short period of time, didn't particularly enjoy it, but it was helpful.
'Since then I've just lost weight in the normal way by eating less, eating more healthily, doing some exercise – going to the gym, going running.'
Ms Dorries wrote in the Daily Mail that taking the weight-loss jabs had given her the confidence to wear bikinis this summer.
She said: 'My overall health is massively improved; my blood tests are all normal, the pain in my left hip has disappeared and the aches and niggles are now just what you would expect for a woman of my age.
'So, am I beach ready? Am I looking forward to my first post-Mounjaro summer holiday? In short, yes!'
Mr Streeting told the media on Thursday morning: 'The thing is, if you can afford these weight-loss jabs, which can be over 200 quid a month, well, that's all right for you.
'But most people in this country haven't got a spare two-and-a-half grand a year, and often the people who have the worst and most challenging obesity also have the lowest income.
'So I'm bringing to weight-loss jabs the principle of fairness which has underpinned the NHS.'
He added: 'It should be available based on need and not the ability to pay. And that's what we're going to do on weight-loss jabs, as well as a number of other things, including people getting more fit, more active, supporting people on diet and nutrition... that's the bit of the weight-loss jab debate that sometimes gets lost.
'It's not that you can have some weight-loss jabs and stuff your face with Jaffa cakes...'
He said obesity costs the NHS billions a year, adding that taxes have been going 'up and up' to pay for the health service.
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