The UK trial is a world first and will measure the impact on the job prospects of up to 3,000 people living with obesity in the Greater Manchester area.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer previously told the BBC the jabs would be “very helpful” to people who want and need to lose weight.

“[The drug is] very important for our NHS, because, yes we need more money for the NHS, but we’ve also got to think differently”.

Prof Simon Capewell, an expert in public health at Liverpool University, called the plans “unethical,” saying they target people for economic reasons “rather than prioritising the person’s own interests and health”.

Obesity expert Dr Dolly van Tulleken said, besides the “serious ethical, financial, and efficacy considerations,” the plans were also unrealistic.

The eligible population for this plan was “in the millions” with specialist weight management services only able to treat 49,000 per year, Dr Van Tuelleken said.

Previous plan “looking at people, or measuring people based on their potential economic value, rather than primarily based on their needs and their health needs” had gone down “very badly” in the past, she told BBC Radio 4′ Today programme.

Streeting defended the government’s decision to test the economic impact of weight loss drugs.

“If we can throw the trends we are seeing in obesity into reverse that’s better for the health of the nation,” Streeting said.

Improved public health is also “better for the health of the nation’s finances”, he added.