The UK has experienced a significant rise in alcohol-related deaths, with official statistics showing a 41% increase during the Covid-19 pandemic compared to pre-pandemic levels. In 2022, the death rate reached 16.6 per 100,000, marking the highest level since records began in 2001. This increase was observed more sharply among women, with a 44% rise in death rates, compared to a 39% for men, according to the Office for National Statistics.

Whilst the Scottish government has taken steps to curb alcohol consumption through policies like increasing the minimum price of alcohol per unit, England has yet to implement similar measures. The absence of a national alcohol strategy in England for over a decade has been noted amidst rising alcohol-related health issues and deaths.

Calls for adopting Minimum Unit Pricing (MUP) in England have been supported by recent research from the Health Foundation, which found strong public backing for the policy. Meanwhile, experts such as Dr. Katherine Severi from the Institute of Alcohol Studies have highlighted the need for more stringent regulations, particularly concerning marketing practices targeting women, portraying alcohol as a coping mechanism.

England’s approach thus far has focused more on treatment rather than prevention, despite recommendations to take more comprehensive actions to tackle excessive drinking which costs the NHS an estimated £3.5 billion annually.