From Ozempic to no carbs, how are Tory leadership hopefuls getting fit for office?

Londoner’s Diary

Tory leadership hopeful Robert Jenrick has confessed to trying weight loss drug Ozempic in his bid to shed a few pounds. The former immigration minister claims he only did the injections for six weeks in autumn 2023 but “didn’t particularly enjoy it”. 

Ozempic is a treatment for Type-2 diabetes, but is used for its appetite surpressing side effects by everyone from Hollywood to Holyrood. Elon Musk, Jeremy Clarkson, Boris Johnson and Stephen Fry have all admitted to trying it – with varied results. The Daily Mail reported in May that several MPs were taking the drug and keeping the medication in their office fridges.

“To be honest, I was overweight,” Jenrick told Politico. After the stint on Ozempic, he says he lost four stone over the last year in the “normal” way, by “eating less, eating more healthily, doing some exercise, going to the gym, going running.” However, Jenrick later seemed to contradict himself by saying “I don’t eat very healthily” and that his favourite food is Chinese and Indian takeaways. It seems his path to svelteness shall remain a mystery. 

Tory leadership candidate Tom Tugendhat (AFP via Getty Images)

Jenrick is not the only one getting leadership body ready. Fellow candidate Tom Tugendhat is opting for the keto approach. He told The Times that he has stopped drinking in the last year and has “been told to stay off bread and potatoes by Madame T.” Meanwhile, shadow home secretary James Cleverly has put his fitness levels to a good cause. In April he raised £3500 for Cancer Research UK by doing 100 press ups a day.