'Keep too thin models off catwalk'

Extremely thin models should be kept off the catwalk at London Fashion Week, which starts on Sunday, Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell said.

Ms Jowell said that she did not want to see Government legislation to ban "size zero" models, but thought the fashion industry should take action itself to avoid promoting unhealthy body shapes.

And she cautioned against a simple ban on models under a certain weight or body mass index. Women like British model Erin O'Connor should not be penalised if they were fortunate enough to be able to stay skinny while eating normally, she said.

Ms Jowell said she was "delighted" that the British Fashion Council had made it clear that it would follow the lead of other fashion shows around the world in taking steps to tackle the issue.

Asked whether she believed that London Fashion Week should have doctors checking models' health before they take to the catwalk - as was done in Madrid - she told BBC Radio 4's Today: "I think it is for the industry to make these decisions, but the short answer is yes.

"I certainly don't think that young women who are being made ill by the requirement to be thin should then be paraded on the catwalk, any more than I think girls under 16 should be paraded on the catwalk.

"I am very glad that Madrid, Milan, Brazil and New York have all taken a stand on this - not a legislative stand, but a very clear stand within the industry and I am glad that our industry is doing the same."

She added: "I am delighted that the British Fashion Council, as part of London Fashion Week, have made it absolutely clear that they intend to take some serious steps to rectify the use of very thin models or young women who are under 16."

Ms Jowell cautioned against the use of an "arbitrary" cut-off weight or body mass index below which models could not work. "There are models, famous models, like an extremely beautiful woman Erin O'Connor, who eat normally but are just very fortunate - unlike the rest of us - in that if they eat normally they don't put on weight," she said.

"You have to factor that in, so any decision by the industry has to focus on thinness which is making the model ill, rather than simply an arbitrary measurement."