Overview

• A joint letter from 34 health organisations tells Health Secretary Wes Streeting that current measures fall short of addressing the scale and complexity of alcohol-related harm
• Signatories call for minimum unit pricing in England, mirroring policies already in place in Scotland and Wales
• The experts urge granting local authorities powers to set alcohol sale hours and regulate online deliveries
• The letter demands aligning alcohol advertising rules with those for foods high in fat, salt and sugar, linking duties to inflation and ending “cider exceptionalism”
• The Department of Health and Social Care says it will keep evaluating interventions and has allocated an extra £310 million for alcohol treatment services in 2025/26