Lord Clinton-Davis asked the House what plans the Government has to impose a sugar tax on fizzy drinks.

He said: “If we had a league of government U-turns, this one would surely head the list. Not so long ago, the Prime Minister said that a sugar tax was not worth while. Now, urged on by experts and MPs of all parties, he says that it is not a bad idea.

“What should we do now? My view is that we should follow the example of Mexico. Why wait for many months when the evidence is clear? Why do the government not act immediately?”

Lord Prior of Brampton, the parliamentary under-secretary of state for the Department of Health said that the Government has taken into account research from Public Health England, SACN, the McKinsey institute and others to form the forthcoming obesity strategy.

The strategy will include a whole range of responses to the obesity crisis, including tackling issues like reformulation, portion size, availability, as well as the reduction of sugar.

He said: “My Lords, reduction of sugar is a critical part of the Government’s obesity strategy. It has been made clear by the reports that there is no silver bullet. It is not just a question of passing a tax and getting the results that you wish to have. If a tax were to come in, it would be part of a whole range of other measures.”

Lord Rennard added: “Does the minister accept that the introduction of a modest sugary drinks tax should be a win-win policy in that, if it works, people would be deterred from consuming those drinks, switch to alternatives and lead healthier lifestyles, and, if it does not work, it would raise money much needed by the NHS to deal with the problems of the obesity and diabetes epidemic?”

Lord Brampton also confirmed that the Sugar Smart app from PHE Change4Life has been downloaded 600,000 times since its launch and hailed it for raising awareness of sugar consumption.