England must introduce Minimum Unit Pricing, say campaigners

The call follows the release of Public Health Scotland’s Alcohol Strategy Monitoring Report published today (17 June). Public Health Scotland said the latest figures showed “encouraging trends” since the introduction of MUP.

The report reveals that in 2019 alcohol consumption in Scotland – estimated from the total volume of alcohol sales – remained at its lowest level since 1994. It shows 9.9 litres of pure alcohol was sold per adult, equivalent to an average of 19 units per adult per week. The volume of pure alcohol sold in Scotland was 9% higher than in England and Wales, and this represents the smallest difference since 2002, for the second consecutive year.

Professor Sir Ian Gilmore, chair of the Alcohol Health Alliance UK, said: “It is encouraging to see that alcohol sales in Scotland remain at their lowest levels in more than 25 years. The introduction of minimum unit pricing in Scotland two years ago seems to be starting to make a real difference to public health and this report adds to the growing evidence base that minimum unit pricing is beginning to result in less harmful drinking habits in Scotland and therefore saving lives.

“With the introduction of minimum unit pricing in Wales earlier this year, England has been further left behind the much of the UK in the race to tackle the alcohol harm crisis. More than 24,000 people die in England every year from alcohol-related causes, with those living in the north of the country being disproportionately affected by the devastating impact of alcohol harm. It is time for Westminster to step up and prove it takes our nation’s health seriously by implementing minimum unit pricing as a matter of urgency.”