A Health Committee report said the Government should develop a plan to improve standards for weight-loss treatment, with increased capacity, clear waiting times, structured pathways for all patients and improved staff training.

Health and Social Care Committee chair Layla Moran said: ‘Weight-loss drugs have been a positive innovation but they remain out of reach for those who can't afford them.

‘A two-tier system has emerged because of limited supply via the NHS, inadvertently deepening health inequalities. This needs to be reviewed and streamlined with input from digital providers.'

The report says access could be improved with involvement of online providers enabled by greater data sharing and also calls for ambitious targets for access to GLP-1.   

In addition, the report recommends a huge increase in capacity for bariatric surgery and proposes measures on regulating the black market of weight-loss drugs.

It also calls for reframing obesity as a chronic, relapsing condition with life-long physiological impacts.