EXPERTS are urging the UK Government to follow Scotland’s lead and introduce minimum unit pricing (MUP) for alcohol in England.
In 2018, Scotland became the first country in the world to set a minimum price at which alcoholic drinks could be sold.
Last month, the Scottish Government further increased the MUP from 50p to 65p per unit of alcohol, with Health Secretary Neil Gray stating that the “world-leading policy has saved hundreds of lives”.
In England, consumers are currently able to purchase a two-litre bottle of cider for less than £2 - translating to just 22p per unit of alcohol.
Now, public health experts in England are calling on the country to follow Scotland in introducing the policy after an investigation into the NHS noted the “alarming” number of deaths caused by alcohol.
“The evidence is crystal clear,” said Greg Fell, president of the Association of Directors of Public Health.
“It saves lives”.
The NHS report published by Lord Darzi criticised the increasing affordability of alcohol.
“Alcohol is becoming more affordable over time, and deaths are rising at an alarming rate,” he wrote.
“In the pandemic, there was a 10.8% annual increase between 2019 and 2022.”
However, a spokesperson for the Department of Health and Social Care failed to repeat the refusal when contacted by The Guardian.
“For too long there has been an unwillingness to lead on issues like smoking, alcohol harm and obesity,” they said.
“Under our health mission we are placing prevention front and centre.
“This means prioritising public health measures to support people to live longer, healthier lives, including reducing alcohol-related harms.”
Alcohol deaths in Scotland reached a 15-year-high in 2023 despite the introduction of MUP.
However, a report published by the Lancet medical journal last year claimed that MUP was associated with a 13.4% reduction in deaths wholly attributed to alcohol in Scotland.
“If you put up the price of alcohol, it will reduce the amount that is being consumed,” said Martin McKee, professor of European public health at London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
“The evidence from Scotland is that it does reduce consumption among the heaviest drinkers who experience the most harm, and it does reduce deaths.”
