Dame Andrea Jenkins criticized the government’s plans to use weight loss policies to get people back to work and boost the economy.
Sir Keir Starmer said drugs such as Wegoby and Munjaro “could be hugely important to the economy so people can get back to work”.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting also wrote in the Telegraph that sick leave due to obesity-related illnesses “is a drag on our economy”.
Trials are currently being planned to examine the actual impact of Munjaro, also known as tirzepatide, on non-clinical outcomes, including economics.
But Dame Andrea, 50, warned that the drug was not a silver bullet. In a video shared on X, she opened up about her experience using Ozempic, a drug approved to treat type 2 diabetes.
Read more: Unemployed obese people to be given weight loss drugs to ‘get back to work’
A former member of parliament said: After my mother passed away, I was able to eat with great peace of mind and my weight ballooned to 12 stone and 9 pounds. This is for someone who is only 5 feet 6 inches tall.
“Since I had the Ozempic injection, I felt a little sick, but overall I felt okay.”
Dame Andrea, who lost her Morley & Outwood seat in this year’s election, said she had been taking the drug for five months and had lost 10 stone in weight.
But when she stopped taking it, she “gained a lot of weight and was quickly back down to almost 12 stone”.
She continued: “That was after I lost the weight at the end of January and by May I had gained it all back.
“One of the side effects of withdrawal is an insatiable appetite. I’ve never experienced anything like this before.
“I’ve always been hungry. Even after eating three chocolate bars in a row, I’m still hungry. Even after eating my fill, I’m still hungry.”
Mrs Andrea said she had turned to more traditional methods – “literally eating less and moving more” – to lose 11 stone.
She added: “That’s the only way to lose weight. I think we really need to know about the long-term side effects before West Street starts getting more people to take these drugs. So individuals I think this is a bad decision.”
According to UK guidelines, the weight loss jab is only to be used in conjunction with dietary and lifestyle advice for up to two years.
