The Autumn Budget on 28th October is a chance to prevent thousands of families from experiencing the devastating impact of liver disease. Because 90% of liver disease is preventable, government action on alcohol harm and obesity could save lives, reduce pressure on the NHS and stop more people developing serious liver disease and liver cancer. That’s why Liver UK is calling on HM Treasury to use this Budget to invest in prevention and tackle the root causes of liver disease.
Vanessa Hebditch, Director of Policy and Communications, said:
“Behind every liver disease statistic is a person, a family and a future that can be changed. Every year, thousands of people are diagnosed with liver disease and liver cancer too late. That’s heartbreaking for patients and loved ones, and it places a growing burden on our NHS. With 90% of liver disease preventable, we have a real opportunity to act before harm occurs. Measures such as the Soft Drinks Industry Levy and Minimum Unit Pricing have already shown that fiscal policies can improve health. This Budget should build on that success by restoring the alcohol duty escalator and strengthening measures to tackle obesity and alcohol harm, helping more people live longer, healthier lives.”
Alcohol harm remains one of the biggest causes of liver disease in the UK, accounting for 6 in 10 cases of liver disease[i]. Alcohol harm is a serious concern, with healthcare costs estimated in 2024 at upwards of £4.9 billion every year in England alone[ii]. Alcohol has serious consequences for both health and the economy, and it is therefore essential that it is addressed in the Budget. Obesity is also one of the root causes of liver disease, and obesity levels continue to rise[iii].
Up to 1 in 5 people in the UK drink alcohol in a way that could harm their liver[iv]. Deaths from liver disease have continued to rise over the past decade, and alcohol remains one of the largest contributing factors. Societal changes are essential to create a healthier environment to reduce the risk of liver disease. To effectively improve outcomes for patients with liver disease, we must therefore address alcohol harm.
Minimum Unit Pricing (MUP) is a targeted measure that can address this alcohol harm. MUP only affects the price of the cheapest alcohol. Moderate drinkers buy relatively little of the cheapest products and therefore do not see a significant financial impact from MUP[v]. It also positively contributes towards equalising outcomes. In Scotland, reductions were greatest for those living in the 40% most deprived areas, helping address health inequalities[vi].
Alcohol duty is also a crucial lever for improving liver health because affordability directly relates to alcohol harm and, thus, incidence of liver disease[vii]. We therefore also support the reintroduction of an automatic alcohol duty escalator, uprating non-draught alcohol duty by 2% above RPI each year, to ensure taxation keeps pace with inflation and supports economic growth and improved healthy life expectancy.
The Soft Drinks Industry Levy is already working to improve outcomes. New modelling published by Recipe for Change also assessed the impact of this policy, finding that such a policy could reduce average sugar intake by 3.94g per day and prevent more than 450,000 cases of chronic disease over 25 years[viii]. The impact of this levy is improved lives and better prevention. This is why it is vital to build on the success of the Soft Drinks Industry Levy, which has reduced the sales-weighted average sugar in soft drinks by 47% since 2015, while raising £300–350 million every year in revenue.
Nine in ten cases of liver disease are preventable. This Budget is an opportunity to save lives before harm occurs, rather than paying the price afterwards. We’re urging the government to take MUP, the alcohol duty escalator, and the Soft Drinks Industry Levy seriously in this Budget.
[i] Liver UK, ‘Alcohol-related liver disease’, Liver UK. Available at: https://liveruk.org/about-liver-disease/conditions/alcohol-related-liver-disease/
[ii] Institute of Alcohol Studies (2024). Economy
[iii] NHS Digital 2021, https://digital.nhs.uk/news/2021/significant-increase-in-obesity-rates-among-primary-aged-children-latest-statistics-show
[iv] Liver UK, ‘Alcohol-related liver disease’, available at: https://liveruk.org/about-liver-disease/conditions/alcohol-related-liver-disease/
[v] University of Sheffield, ‘Biggest alcohol policy myths busted’, available at: https://sheffield.ac.uk/research/features/biggest-alcohol-policy-myths-busted
[vi] Public Health Scotland. (2023). Evaluating the impact of minimum unit pricing for alcohol in Scotland: Final report. A synthesis of the evidence
[vii] Lord Darzi of Denham (2024) Independent Investigation of the National Health Service in England.
[viii] Recipe for Change (2026) Health and economic benefits of a levy on key categories of unhealthy food. Evidence Briefing 3. London: Sustain. Available at: https://www.recipeforchange.org.uk/policy-and-evidence/may26-recipe-for-change-evidence-briefing-levy-on-key-categories-of-unhealthy-food/
