Sir Keir Starmer is preparing a Nanny state “latte tax” on canned coffee and milkshakes.

The government has announced plans to apply a sugar tax to bottled milk coffee drinks and milkshakes as part of an effort to tackle the problem. obesity crisis.

While freshly brewed coffees would be exempt under the tax’s design, many canned drinks would not meet the rules.

The tax applies to drinks containing more than 5g of sugar per 100ml and the government is considering lowering the threshold.

A canned Costa Coffee iced latte contains 5.2g of sugar per 100ml, while a Starbucks Daily Brew iced latte contains 5.8g. M&S Iced Coffee Latte contains 7g per 100ml

The sugar tax on soft drinks was initially introduced in 2018, but an exemption for milk-based drinks was included as ministers did not want to deter people from getting enough calcium. Milk is a key source of minerals, important for building strong bones and teeth.

However, in documents quietly released alongside the budget, the government said it was “likely that the health benefits do not justify the harms of too much sugar”, as young people only get 3 .5% of their calcium intake from milk-based drinks.

He suggests that by extending the tax to milkshakes and milk-based coffee drinks, it would incentivize manufacturers to reduce the amount of sugar in their recipes.

Some milkshakes on sale in supermarkets provide a third of the recommended daily sugar intake, while takeaway milky coffee drinks can have so much sugar in them in the form of chocolate bars.