Ministers are considering stricter restrictions on alcohol advertising to bring them closer in line with junk food ads.
The government said it is exploring “partial restrictions” which could include a ban on alcohol advertising before the 9pm watershed.
The plans could be introduced in the ten-year NHS plan set to be revealed in July.
Health secretary Wes Streeting is set to announce radical reforms for the NHS in England after the recent spending review allocated £29 billion to the health service.
Under current plans for unhealthy food set to be implemented in January 2026, adverts will be banned if the products are classified as “less healthy” using a government scoring system based on salt, fat, sugar and protein content.
If the alcohol restrictions follow the same guidelines as the unhealthy food ban, it may mean television ads will only be allowed after 9pm.
There are already strict restrictions on alcohol advertising in the UK. The Advertising Standards Agency’s guidelines say alcohol ads must not be directed at people under 18 or contain anything likely to appeal to them by reflecting youth culture.
There are also controls around the placement of alcohol ads, which are banned from programmes aimed at under-18s or those likely to appeal to that age group.
The government has ruled out a Scottish-style minimum unit price for alcohol, which is understood to have been included in previous drafts of the ten-year plan.
Under Scottish laws, a minimum unit pricing sets the lowest price an alcoholic drink can be sold for. A 700ml bottle of Whiskey, for example, cannot be sold for less than £18.20 in Scotland.
Sky News reported on Wednesday that a leaked section of the ten-year draft set out plans to fully or partially ban alcohol advertising.
The Department of Health and Social Care said that the plan would not include a full ban.
More than 10,000 people died from alcohol-related deaths in 2023 – the highest on record, according to the Office of National Statistics. Alcohol harm costs the NHS around £27.4 billion a year, research by the Institute of Alcohol Studies found last year.
Dr Richard Piper, CEO of Alcohol Change UK, warned that alcohol remains a “leading health polluter in the UK”, harming millions and cutting lives short.
He said the “status quo” on regulation is failing, with the UK’s advertising rules far weaker than in other countries.
“Alcohol is everywhere,” he said, pointing to TV and sports sponsorships, public transport ads and “incessant” online marketing that is “almost impossible to turn off”.
These adverts, he added, glamorise drinking by tying it to “relaxing, socialising, celebrating or commiserating”, falsely suggesting it is “essential” to daily life.
Dr Piper called it “totally unacceptable” that so many children are exposed to alcohol ads, especially through sport and digital platforms, and said the public backs stronger protections. “Our kids should no longer be the ‘collateral damage’ of alcohol marketing,” he said.
He urged the government to use its ten-year health plan and the Health Mission Board on Alcohol to tackle “out-of-control” industry advertising and reduce harm across society.
Jem Roberts of the Institute of Alcohol Studies said the group welcomes the plans to introduce restrictions.
“We know the three most effective ways to reduce alcohol harm are to increase the price of alcohol, tighter licensing restrictions, and bans on marketing,” she said. “All are backed by decades of international evidence.
“But to significantly reduce alcohol deaths, [advertising restrictions] must be combined with measures like minimum unit pricing and limits on the availability of cheap, high-strength alcohol, which are proven to save lives and reduce health inequalities.”
A DHSC Spokesperson said: “The 10 year health plan will not include a ban on alcohol advertising. We are exploring options for partial restrictions to bring it closer in line with advertising of unhealthy food.”
