The year 2025 has brought turbulent times for public health, with alcohol industry interference, political flip-flopping, and significant missed opportunities to reduce harm. Despite some modest progress, the year exposed a continuing reluctance to implement evidence-based measures that could save lives.

Many public health advocates felt genuine optimism when the new government took office. Ministers had repeatedly stated that “for too long, there has been an unwillingness to lead on issues like smoking, alcohol harm, and obesity.” Yet as the year unfolded, that unwillingness persisted.

Record Deaths and Rising Harm

The year started grimly when officials announced that alcohol-specific deaths in England reached another record high in 2023. Deaths rose by 42% compared to 2019. The North East overtook Scotland’s death rate for the very first time.

Research throughout the year continued to highlight alcohol’s devastating health impact. The US Surgeon General sounded the alarm on alcohol and cancer risk, boosting awareness of the link. Researchers found that alcohol increases the risk of pancreatic cancer. Alcohol-related cancer deaths doubled in the US from 1990 to 2021.

In the UK, 1 million people face the ‘triple threat’ of drinking, smoking, and obesity. A first-of-its-kind study in Scotland revealed that intoxicated patients and bystanders regularly abuse and sexually harass ambulance staff.

How Alcohol Industry Interference Shaped Policy

Industry interference emerged as the dominant theme throughout 2025. A Private Eye investigation revealed a stark conflict of interest at Drinkaware. Alcohol multinationals pressured the industry-funded charity to align its work with their priorities.

The government set up an industry-dominated Taskforce to propose licensing reforms that would create growth in the hospitality sector. Public health groups, police, residents’ associations, and local authorities pushed back strongly against nearly all of the Taskforce’s proposals.

Despite this opposition, the government pressed ahead with plans to deregulate alcohol licensing in October. It accepted most of the Taskforce’s proposals in a clear threat to public health.

Ireland announced it would delay alcohol warning labels in June. Officials claimed tariff impacts caused the delay, though industry lobbying appeared to drive the decision—another clear example of alcohol industry interference.

The 10-Year Health Plan Disappointment

The much-anticipated 10-Year Health Plan for England became a focal point for debate. When officials launched it in July, the plan failed to include any of the three most effective policies to reduce harm. This occurred despite leaks suggesting it could contain meaningful measures.

Early drafts appeared to include partial marketing restrictions. These would have brought alcohol in line with unhealthy food and drink. Industry bodies reacted furiously and successfully removed this life-saving measure. This represented perhaps the most significant example of alcohol industry interference during 2025.

The Health Plan did push alcohol labelling higher up the agenda. Health Secretary Wes Streeting highlighted the absurdity: orange juice must list nutritional information and ingredients, yet vodka—a carcinogenic substance—requires none. “It is a bit daft,” he said.

However, the alcohol industry will likely try to dilute any meaningful messaging. For example, they’ve suggested QR codes, despite only 0.26% of consumers engaging with them. This represents a textbook case of pretending to help whilst actively blocking solutions.

Some Progress on Duty and Pricing

Two consecutive Budgets kept alcohol duty in line with inflation. This achievement matters because it hadn’t happened in the previous ten years. Whilst rates remain far below their 2012 level in real terms, this marked a return to a more sensible track.

The Social Market Foundation recommended a windfall tax if England introduces minimum unit pricing (MUP). This could raise over £600 million. However, political obstacles remained. The Democratic Unionist Party blocked MUP in Northern Ireland.

In Australia, the new Conservative government of the Northern Territory scrapped minimum unit pricing. Officials claimed it failed to achieve meaningful outcomes.

Marketing and Education Concerns

Public Health Scotland published a comprehensive review concluding that alcohol marketing does more than influence brand preference. It leads to higher overall consumption and attracts new drinkers. This directly contradicts industry claims and exposes further attempts at alcohol industry interference with public understanding.

Regulators found that half of alcohol-free adverts broke advertising rules. A coalition of 58 organisations signed a joint letter calling for the Education Secretary to ban schools from using teaching materials that health-harming industries develop.

Road Safety and Licensing

A new road safety strategy promises to reduce the drink-driving limit in England and Wales. These nations maintain the highest limits in Europe. The temporary takeaway alcohol system ended after a majority of consultation respondents opposed its continuation.

Investigators found alcohol played a role in 1 in 5 complaints to the UK parliament’s complaints scheme.

Rare Good News from Scotland

In some rare positive news, the latest figures showed a drop in Scotland’s alcohol death rate in 2024. This suggests the pandemic impact is starting to lessen. However, MSPs in Scotland voted against the legal right to addiction treatment. They concluded it offered the wrong “vehicle” to help people with addictions.

Global Developments

International developments during 2025 included Donald Trump’s tariff threats on European alcohol. These threats rattled markets on both sides of the Atlantic. A friend of a woman who died from methanol poisoning in Laos called for better education on the topic in schools.

The European Alcohol Policy Alliance, Eurocare, closed its Brussels office due to funding constraints. This represents a significant loss for coordinated European advocacy against industry lobbying.

Looking Ahead

In November, experts published a long-term vision to tackle alcohol harm in the UK. In parliament, the Drugs, Alcohol & Justice All-Party Parliamentary Group called for a national alcohol strategy.

Despite the persistent challenges that alcohol industry interference posed throughout 2025, public health advocates showed they do not lack conviction. The challenge for 2026 will involve pushing back against industry’s “passionate intensity” and ensuring policymakers implement evidence-based policies to reduce the significant harm that alcohol causes.

Whilst improved labelling and duty increases represent steps forward, they fall far short of what’s needed. Consumers deserve to know what they’re drinking and the risks involved. More importantly, they deserve policies that genuinely protect public health rather than industry profits.

Governments must address the pattern of alcohol industry interference blocking meaningful reform if they want to make progress in reducing the devastating toll of alcohol-related deaths and harm.

Source: dbrecoveryresources