The All-Party Parliamentary Group on Alcohol Harm relaunches with new Chair

In recent years the APPG has conducted an inquiry into alcohol-related assaults on emergency services workers, provided briefings for debates on alcohol harm, assisted in the creation of a new tax band for super strength ciders, held an alcohol free drinks reception in Parliament to raise awareness of labelling issues. In 2018 the group worked with the Cross-Party Parliamentary Group on Drugs, Alcohol and Justice to create the Alcohol Charter – a comprehensive list of alcohol policy asks, covering its impact on health, criminal justice and wider society.

We are grateful to previous Chairs for their hard work. We are now pleased to announce that Christian Wakeford MP will be stepping into the role of Chair. 2021 promises to be an important year for alcohol policy and practice, as the nation focusses on recovery from the coronavirus pandemic, and the APPG will be addressing the topic with renewed energy and enthusiasm.

"Alcohol abuse can tear lives apart, not only for the individual but those surrounding them, whether it be friends or family. Now more than ever during a difficult period, being in lockdown, many lonely people will turn to alcohol as a support mechanism. My aim as Chairman of the APPG on Alcohol Harm is to ensure that people understand that abusing alcohol is the leading risk factor for ill health. Using this information I am hopeful this will help them to make an informative choice and lead a healthier lifestyle." said Christian Wakeford MP.

The group’s other officers are Kenny MacAskill MP, Lord Brooke of Alverthorpe, Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town, Baroness Finlay of Llandaff and Baroness Watkins of Tavistock.

We look forward to working with Christian and the other officers of the group to raise awareness of alcohol harm among Parliamentarians and to make recommendations to policy-makers.

Our next public event will take place on 10 March 2021 at 1pm. Before then we will be running two briefing sessions for Parliamentarians, one on the Domestic Abuse Bill and one on the upcoming release of new data on alcohol-related deaths.