Jamie Oliver sends message to new UK Prime Minister
Jamie Oliver is hoping to form a constructive partnership with the new government.
Jamie Oliver hopes new UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham will prioritise the health and wellbeing of children.
The 51-year-old chef started a campaign, called Feed Me Better, to introduce schoolchildren to healthier foods in 2005, and Jamie hopes that the new government will be supportive of his long-term ambitions regarding the health of young people in the UK.
He told the Daily Mirror newspaper: "It’s going to be an interesting six months.
"For a long time, my teams have been reaching out to his teams - we have very good dialogue. And he has always been quite contemporary, quite open-minded.
"No government has put child health as a priority in the election - ever. So, let’s see. And, by the way, when you're talking about children's health and education, it’s a blink of an eye. We’re talking ten years. It’s a country’s entire future. This is an opportunity for Burnham to reframe what Labour looks like."
Sir Keir Starmer, Burnham's predecessor, introduced a social media ban on under-16s before leaving Downing Street. And while Jamie believes the ban is a bit "crude", he also accepts that it's a step in the right direction in regards to online child safety.
The TV chef explained: "Obviously, young people are going to work around it. But ultimately it’s about rebalancing the etiquette of digital: what is fair, what is legal, what is appropriate?
"My nine-year-old does crafting with friends on screen. It’s outrageously wholesome. Hopefully it’s the start of more of this."
Jamie first rose to fame in his 20s, when he hosted the Naked Chef series on the BBC.
The TV star has been through plenty of ups and downs since then, but he's convinced that he's now in the midst of the best decade of his life.
He shared: "I've had the best 50th year. I've tried to focus on my health, sleep, work and be a bit more selfish, spend more time with family…"
