The British Liver Trust welcomes today’s vote in the Holyrood Parliament to renew and uprate minimum unit pricing to 65p. Minimum unit pricing is a way of setting a baseline price below which no one can sell an alcoholic drink. The price is based on how much alcohol is in each drink.
Vanessa Hebditch, Director of Communications and Policy at the British Liver Trust said: “‘Over 70% of liver disease deaths are attributable to alcohol in Scotland. Alcohol specific deaths in Scotland are over five times higher in the most deprived areas, compared to the least deprived areas. Alcohol causes 7 different types of cancer including liver cancer, which is the fastest rising cause of cancer death in the UK.
“The Scottish Parliament have provided the democratic mandate to renew and uprate minimum unit pricing to 65p today. This is a historic day for public health policy and the endorsement of minimum unit pricing – a policy which effectively reduces alcohol harm and related deaths and hospitalisations.
“We congratulate the Scottish Government on taking bold action to reduce the impact of alcohol harm in Scotland. It shows international leadership and sets out the evidence base for introducing minimum unit pricing in England.’
The vote follows the introduction of minimum unit pricing in 2018 and a comprehensive independent evaluation report of the impact of the policy, which concluded in 2023. The review provides clear evidence of the effectiveness of minimum unit pricing in reducing alcohol harm, deaths and hospitalisations. It has saved an estimated 156 lives per year (13.6% reduction), averted an estimated 411 hospital admissions per year (4.1% reduction) and reduced inequalities with the most lives saved among the 40% most deprived groups.
The new uprating to 65p is broadly in line with inflation since the inception of the policy in 2018. We are calling for an automatic uprating system to ensure that the aim of minimum unit pricing is not reduced by inflation moving forward.
