Overview

• The move sees Prime Minister Keir Starmer strip all proposed alcohol advertising restrictions from the NHS’s forthcoming 10-year health plan on July 2.
• US trade authorities cautioned that full or partial bans would violate non-tariff barrier commitments in the newly signed US-UK trade deal and could prompt formal dispute proceedings.
• Major American alcohol producers including Brown-Forman, Diageo and AB InBev lobbied Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds and warned that a ban would trigger investment losses and cancel sports sponsorships.
• The Department of Health and Social Care has abandoned regulatory curbs in favour of non-regulatory “nudge” campaigns aimed at curbing harmful drinking.
• The reversal follows earlier rollbacks of junk food advertising restrictions in the UK and Ireland’s decision to delay alcohol health warnings under similar US trade pressures.