CANNED

U16 ban for 'dangerous' energy drinks | 100,000 extra kids' dental check-ups | Starmer: I'll protect children's health

- JOHN STEVENS

LABOUR will ban energy drinks for under-16s as part of a drive to help children focus in the classroom, Keir Starmer will announce today.

The Labour leader's action plan for youngsters will also include an extra 100,000 urgent dental appointments for children, and a ban on TV junk food adverts before 9pm.

Highly caffeinated energy drinks will be banned from sale in shops and online to children under 16, after this newspaper's Can It! campaign was backed by TV chef Jamie Oliver.

Last night, Mr Starmer told the Mirror: "There is no more important indicator of the state of a country than the wellbeing of its children. As a dad of two teenagers, I have a daily reminder of how important that is."

He added young people are "no longer chasing their dreams, but a dentist appointment" after 14 years of Conservative chaos and decline.

The announcement boosts the Mirror's Dentists for All campaign, which found dentistry is the hardest NHS service to access, leaving some pulling out their own teeth.