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Good morning. The Government has launched a new public health campaign to encourage us to shed some pounds. It's a mix of better information, regulation of advertising and opportunities to exercise - and the context, obviously, is Covid-19. Being overweight, say the experts, puts you more at risk – which is why buy one get one free deals on unhealthy food will be banned as part of the government's bid to tackle obesity in England and junk food adverts will be banned before 9 am in the UK. I'm not going to criticise this well-intentioned campaign. I just want to offer a few reflections as someone whose own weight has gone up and down over the years. One observation is that in a time of pandemic, there's always a risk of casting people not only as a danger to themselves but a danger to others. Not everyone can wear a face mask for example, which is recognised in official advice - but when someone goes into a shop without one on, there’s the potential for misunderstanding and mistrust. Likewise, the last thing anyone would want, I hope, is that people who are overweight are regarded by others as a careless burden on society. There was a time, in my late twenties, when I put on a wee bit of weight. Not much, but too much for my liking. I got rid of it with willpower and effort, but I also had spare time and a beautiful sea front to go jogging along. These are luxuries that not everyone enjoys. A running theme in historical literature is that poverty and bad lifestyles go hand-in-hand, and the explanation lies in large part in poverty itself – as the new National Food Strategy Report, which argues for more free school meals, suggests. When you are overworked or unemployed, invariably out of pocket, the experience of many is that it's that much harder to live up to a healthy ideal. Being overweight is often not simply a question of willpower or lifestyle. It can also be a sign of other problems: depression or a body type that is resistant to change. Yet I think human beings often have a tendency to assume that they are more moral than others, that the person I pass in the street has made no effort whatsoever to help themselves. It’s a prejudice that, as a Christian, I am admonished to reject: “Do not judge, or you too shall be judged,” said Jesus in his Sermon on the Mount, which is not to say that “right and wrong” or “healthy and unhealthy” do not exist. No, what the reader is warned against by Jesus is hypocrisy, a sentiment that might feel good but is useless, even toxic. It’s definitely not as life-giving as friendship and support.