Health experts demand minimum alcohol price in UK
The UK should introduce minimum unit alcohol pricing to reduce the physical and economic damage of alcohol abuse, according to a letter from 50 health professionals and campaigners, including the British Medical Association and the Royal Society of Public Health. The letter, sent to The Guardian, claims that alcohol misuse costs the UK between £21bn ($28bn) and £52bn ($69bn) each year. On Monday, the Welsh government announced plans to follow the example of Scotland, which fixed a minimum unit price in 2012. The Scottish law has yet to be introduced due to legal challenges. 

The UK government should follow Wales and introduce minimum unit alcohol pricing to reduce harm and the economic cost of abuse, health professionals and campaigners have said.

On Monday the Welsh government announced plans to follow the lead set by Scotland in 2012 for a minimum unit price of alcohol, although it has yet to be introduced north of the border because of legal challenges.

Ministers in Westminster have defied calls to embrace the policy, citing a lack of evidence, but are facing fresh pressure to change tack.



In a letter to the Guardian, 50 signatories, including the Tory MP Dr Sarah Wollaston and representatives of bodies including Alcohol Health Alliance UK, the British Medical Association and the Royal Society of Public Health, wrote: “Minimum unit pricing is a highly effective tool to reduce the number of deaths related to alcohol, crime and workplace absence.

“The Welsh government continues to demonstrate its firm commitment to tackle the problem of cheap alcohol and the devastating effect this has on our communities, especially its most vulnerable members.”

It added: “With alcohol misuse costing £21bn-52bn per year, the UK government must now follow Wales and Scotland by implementing a policy that will save lives, relieve pressure on our NHS and fulfil its commitment to even out life chances.”



The letter, also signed by representatives of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, the British Liver Trust and the UK Health Forum, said it was unacceptable that three litres of white cider, containing the equivalent alcohol of 22 shots of vodka, can be bought for just £3.49. It stated that the legislation would not impact prices in pubs but would target “pocket money-priced alcohol”.

In 2014, research on the impact of introducing a 50p minimum unit price (the level set by Scotland) in Wales estimated there would be 53 fewer deaths and 1,400 fewer hospital admissions in Wales each year, saving the NHS more than £130m over 20 years.

The Welsh government has not stipulated its minimum unit price but the public health minister, Rebecca Evans, said: “There is a very clear and direct link between levels of excessive drinking and the availability of cheap alcohol.”

The UK government has previously resisted calls to introduce minimum unit pricing for alcohol despite its health advisers throwing their weight behind the policy. In a review commissioned by the government, published last year, Public Health England found that drink was the biggest killer of people aged between 15 and 49 in England, accounted for 167,000 years of lost productivity each year and was a factor in more than 200 illnesses.

The coalition government pledged in March 2012 to bring in minimum pricing but made a U-turn in July 2013 after intense lobbying by the alcohol industry.

The Scotch Whisky Association has challenged the Scottish legislation, arguing it is in breach of EU law because it restricts free trade and is anti-competitive. The supreme court is expected to give its judgment within the next few weeks, in the latest stage of the long-running legal battle.

A government spokesman said: “Minimum unit pricing in England and Wales remains under review pending the outcome of the legal case between the Scottish government and the Scotch Whisky Association, and any subsequent introduction in Scotland.

“The UK government will assess the legislative competence of any Welsh government legislation that is introduced, as is standard practice with all Welsh assembly bills.”