Mail on Sunday
11 Jan 2005
CHERIE BLAIR'S lifestyle guru Carole Caplin has sparked a political row by urging people not to vote Labour at the next Election unless the Government backs down on plans to ban vitamin and food supplements.
Ms Caplin is furious that Tony Blair is supporting a European Union directive that will outlaw many products from August 1.
The Eurocrats claim too many of them are sold with exaggerated health claims and that they can be harmful in large doses. But Ms Caplin, 42, believes many beneficial products will also be banned under the terms of the EU Food Supplements Directive.
She claims these include supplements containing calcium, magnesium and boron, used for strengthening brittle bones, and folic acid taken by pregnant women to reduce birth defects.
Writing in today's Night Day magazine, she admits that her actions could embarrass the Prime Minister, saying: 'Believe me, both I and the Blairs could do without the hassle. All that's required now is for the Labour Government to stand up to the bureaucrats in Brussels for once.' Her call for action against the Government is an extraordinary U-turn for the woman who was once so close to the Blairs that she enjoyed numerous holidays with them. She still oversees Mrs Blair's weekly gym sessions and helps her with grooming and alternative health matters.
Ms Caplin has thrown down her gauntlet in an email asking supporters to lobby their MPs to vote in favour of a cross-party parliamentary motion in February, opposing the new law.
The message, co-signed by actress Jenny Seagrove, said: 'If the MPs don't vote with us on this important motion, it is time to let them know in no uncertain terms that you and your friends will oppose them at the General Election.' As neither the Tories nor the Liberal Democrats back the ban, the rallying cry effectively demands direct action only against Labour.
Ms Caplin has also revealed that she plans to accompany Tory frontbench MP Chris Grayling to Downing Street on January 26 to hand in a letter of protest.
She claims only 28 vitamins and minerals and 112 sources from which they are derived will escape the cull and it could force many health food shops out of business.
It is not the first time Mrs Blair's friendship with Ms Caplin has led to political controversy. In 2002 Mrs Blair allowed Ms Caplin's then boyfriend Peter Foster to help her buy two flats in
Bristol and later had to apologise after it emerged he was a convicted fraudster.
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Night & Day
Carole Caplin's Column
Why I've been forced to go back to Number 10
After alot of nasty publicity and innuendo, I vowed about 18 months ago I'd never visit Downing Street again. Believe me, both I and the Blairs could do without the hassle.
But at 10 a.m. on January 26, I'll be returning. Not, though, for a routine work or social visit, as was once the case. This time, I'll be accompanied by Tory frontbencher Chris Grayling, and together we'll be delivering a sharp letter to the Prime Minister, Tony Blair, along with a large box packed with vitamins and minerals.
Why? Because unless the Government takes urgent action, these health-boosting vitamins and minerals, along with hundreds of other important food supplements used by millions of British consumers, will be banned. Hundreds of people working in the supplements industry will lose their jobs, small health food stores will close and consumers will be denied basic freedom of choice.
That's because the Government has cravenly endorsed an EU directive which, in pursuit of European-wide uniformity, bans from July 31 scores of food supplements used in perfect safety, sometimes for decades, by Britons.
Supplements containing, for example, calcium, magnesium and boron used for strengthening brittle bones; or antioxidants used by cancer sufferers.
Actress Jenny Seagrove and the organisation Consumers for Health Choice have been battling for the past couple of years to warn people of the consequences of this EU diktat. As a result of their efforts and Chris Grayling's support, the Conservatives have pledged to overturn this directive if they are elected this year.
All that's required now is for the Labour Government to stand up to the bureaucrats in Brussels - for once - and see similar sense. If they do, they'll be heroes to millions.
A few days after Chris and I visit Downing Street, a motion tabled by him and supported by MPs from all parties, Labour included, will be debated in the House of Commons. This motion calls on the Government to act before it's too late and seek urgent renegotiations with the EU. If you would like to support this vital campaign, visit www.healthchoice.org.uk.
Last year, consumer power stopped the introduction of GM crops and forced a Government backdown on super-casinos. If enough of us shout loudly against this appalling directive, I believe we can do it again.
Letter to Carole Caplin from Louise Mclean, Editor, Zeus Information Service:
Dear Carole,
I wrote to you once before about the EU Food Supplements Directive.
I read your article in Night and Day with interest. I am very surprised though that you seem unaware of the fact that the Alliance for Natural Health, an organised entirely funded through voluntary donations, is going to the Europe Court of Justice in Luxembourg on 25th January to challenge the EU FSD!
I am in contact with all the major health freedom associations worldwide who are supporting the Alliance for Natural Health. It seems as though their work has been airbrushed out of the news! They are highly qualified and exceptional individuals who are not only working on the EU FSD but also the EU Traditional Herbal Medicines Directive and the EU Pharmaceuticals Directive.
Do please have a look at their authoritative website www.alliance-natural-health.org
With best wishes,
Louise Mclean, LCCH MARH.
Editor (and Homeopath)
Zeus Information Service
www.zeusinfoservice.com
Zeus Information Service
Alternative Views on Health
www.zeusinfoservice.com
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