Some politicians come under fire for being corrupt or incompetent, but Belgium's new Minister of Public Health is the first political figure to come under fire for being too fat for the job.

Maggie De Block — who is Belgium's most popular politician and was once tipped as a future premier — surprised many when it was announced she would take up the role of Health Minister in the centre-right coalition which has just taken office.

The 52-year-old, who weighs in at more than 20 stone, was not considered to be exactly setting a good example in a country where obesity is a growing health problem.