BMJ 2026; 392 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.s314 (Published 16 February 2026)
Cite this as: BMJ 2026;392:s314
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Sophie Borland
Hertfordshire
Plans for alcohol advertising restrictions were dropped by government after firms including Budweiser, Greene King, and Heineken warned they would harm the economy.
Labour had been considering stricter regulations on ads, including a 9 pm TV watershed, as part of its 10 year health plan published last summer (1 2).
But freedom of information (FOI) requests by the Institute of Alcohol Studies (IAS) show that these proposals were abandoned shortly after the drinks industry sent warning letters to ministers and department officials (3).
One letter from the brewer and pub chain Greene King to health and social care secretary Wes Streeting said the restrictions would have a “crippling impact” on the sector.
Heineken also wrote to Streeting warning the plans would “impede growth and investment” and cause “widespread disruption” across the industry. Budweiser told Streeting that ad restrictions would create “unnecessary regulation” and “impact on investment,” while a letter from whisky firm Chivas Brothers forecast a “devastating impact on economic growth.”
Chancellor Rachel Reeves also had communication from Budweiser urging her to make “immediate
representations” to the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) to “ensure that these restrictions are not enforced.”
The FOI responses show that at least 18 letters were sent by alcohol firms and trade groups including the British Beer and Pub Association, Diageo, the Portman Group trade body, and the Scotch Whisky Association shortly before the 10 year health plan was launched on 3 July 2025. Letters were also sent to the Department of Business and Trade and the Department of Culture, Media, and Sport.
The 10 year health plan makes no mention of alcohol advertising restrictions despite warning that drinking related harms cost society £27.4b a year in England alone. Instead, it promises to introduce “new standards” for alcohol labelling and to “support further growth” in the no and low alcohol market (4).
Responding, the DHSC said it was “categorically untrue” that the plan was changed by lobbying.
But Katherine Severi, chief executive of the IAS, which aims to promote informed debate on alcohol’s impact on society, told The BMJ, “There seems to be a high level of access behind the scenes to government ministers and departments outside the health department. “When the alcohol industry didn’t like what the health secretary was proposing, it went behind his back and tried to get the chancellor and the business secretary to lobby on their behalf and block the proposals.”
Jeff Collin, professor of global health policy at the University of Edinburgh, added, “It’s clear that the alcohol industry got what it wanted out of this process. “The consequences are likely to be pretty dreadful. It’s the commercial determinant of health which most affects our lives and most affects our communities—which successive governments have neglected.”
May van Schalkwyk, University of Edinburgh research fellow, told The BMJ, “Alcohol is a leading cause of
morbidity and mortality. We clearly need more regulation. It’s the way the alcohol industry distorts the evidence base for what is effective in preventing harm that is most shocking.” Last April a study published in Lancet Public Health found that alcohol death rates in England had increased by 13.5% during the pandemic, which the lead author described as an “acute crisis (5 6).
A recent analysis of Office for National Statistics data by the IAS found that mortality from alcohol specific
causes had fallen between 2023 and 2024 but remained above 2019 levels (7).
A DHSC spokesperson said, “It is categorically untrue that any policy content of our 10 year health plan was changed by lobbying. We engage with industry partners and these are unfounded allegations based on a leaked, unfinished version of our health plan. “The government recognises the harms associated with excessive drinking and has taken crucial steps in the health plan to support people to make healthier choices.”
A Heineken UK spokesperson said, “Heineken UK already operates under one of the most highly effective
regulatory frameworks in the UK. “Along with the rest of the sector, Heineken UK follows tight controls on the marketing and promotion of alcohol, regulated robustly through the Advertising Standards Authority and the Portman Group.”
References
1. ↵Government could ban alcohol adverts in ten year plan for NHS. Times. 2026.
www.thetimes.com/uk/healthcare/article/government-alcohol-advertising-ban-nhs-blmj9v9lh
2. ↵Ahmed J. Ministers considering alcohol advertising restrictions in line with junk food. Independent.
www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/alcohol-advertising-ban-uk-nhs-streeting-b2777302.html
3. ↵Thompson E, Severi K. Now you see it, now you don’t: How alcohol industry interference made marketing restrictions disappear from the 10 year health plan in England. IAS. www.ias.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Now-you-see-it-now-you-dont-IAS.pdf 16/02/2026, 14:50 Planned alcohol advertising restrictions sunk after industry lobbying, freedom of information requests show | The BMJ
https://www.bmj.com/content/392/bmj.s314 2/6
4. ↵UK Government. NHS. Fit for the future: 10 year health plan for England. July 2025.
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6888a0b1a11f859994409147/fit-for-the-future-10-year-health-plan-for-england.pdf
5. ↵Phillips H. Persistent rise in alcohol deaths since covid a “crisis”—study. BBC News. 11 April 2025.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cvgp76ydgeyo
6. ↵Oldham M, Jackson S, Brown J, et al. Trends in alcohol-specific deaths in England, 2001-22: an observational study. Lancet Public Health2025;10:e371-9. doi:10.1016/S2468-2667(25)00047-7 pmid:40222372 CrossRef PubMed Google Scholar
7. ↵IAS. Alcohol deaths fall in England for first time since pandemic. 3 December 2025. www.ias.org.uk/news/alcohol-deaths-fall-in-england-for-first-time-since-pandemi