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Earlier this month, Alcohol Change UK attended the Conservative and Labour party conferences as members of the Alcohol Health Alliance
As Autumn starts, there are a few weeks where the House of Commons goes quiet. Party conference season is a strange time, where MPs will pack up and leave London for a convention centre in another city.
We joined the AHA on their stand in the exhibition area for both the Labour and Conservative conferences, alongside other charities, businesses and lobbying orgs.
Our eye-catching stand displayed the key statistic that 70 people die each day from alcohol harm, as well as quotes from people about their experiences with alcohol.
The stand also displayed the logos of the more than 60 member organisations of the Alcohol Health Alliance, showing MPs that our sector is united in our aims to end the harms from alcohol
We took the opportunity to advocate our call for the government to commission an independent review of alcohol harm, highlighting that a lack of a cohesive strategy on alcohol has meant many effective policies have not been considered. We invited MPs to pose for a photo for social media holding up a placard in support of our call for an independent review or a pledge to end alcohol harm.
As well as MPs, many local government officials also stopped by the stand. We gave out briefings on alcohol harm, which they could use to implement change at a local level.
Many people came to us with stories of someone they knew who had suffered from alcohol harm or looking for advice on how to help someone. This really brought home the fact that a huge proportion of the population is affected by alcohol, not just a small group of heavy drinkers.
We also attended some key fringe events. At the Conservative Party conference, we attended one event where then-Health Minister, Therese Coffey, outlined her plans for the NHS and social care. We will be keeping a close eye on the new Health Minister’s plans, to see if there will be more of a focus on alcohol-related issues, or whether the previous Minister’s priorities will remain.
Another event organised by the IPPR Commission on Health and Prosperity looked at the links between the population’s health and economic activity. The focus of discussion was the drivers of ill health, such as poor diet and housing, and how the Conservative Party needs to reframe prevention policies as allowing people more freedoms – freedom to a healthy life - rather than ‘nanny-state-ism’.
After the conference we followed up with the MPs we met, sharing more information about our work as a charity and opportunities for us to work together.
Our next event with the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Alcohol Harm will be on the topic of the exclusion of alcohol dependence from the Equality Act, and we will see many of the MPs we met attend.
Find out more about our policy and advocacy work here
