Political opinion with Beccy Cooper MP: Fighting addiction
From smoking to alcohol, ultra-processed foods, social media and gambling we see far too many big corporations making huge profits from harmful and addictive products.
The Healthy Places All-Party Parliamentary Group, which I co-chair, has been looking into the ever-widening problem of addiction in its various forms, with the aim of taking forward policy suggestions that translate evidence into action.
A great example of how public health priorities can take precedence over profits, is the Tobacco and Vapes Act 2026. Designed to create a smoke-free generation, the policy makes it illegal to sell tobacco to anyone born on or after January 1, 2009, as well as – crucially – restricting the advertising, sponsorship, packaging and display of nicotine products, particularly where they appeal to children. And the long-term
benefits will be almost incalculable, to both public health and the economy.
While this stands to be a major government success, there is still much to do if we are to confront addiction in all its forms. Alcohol-related harms, for example, are pervasive across our society and particularly in the most economically disadvantaged areas, along with an associated growth in gambling addiction.
On alcohol, England lags behind Scotland and Wales in introducing minimum unit pricing (MUP). By setting a minimum price per unit, we can target the cheapest, strongest drinks that are most commonly consumed by dependent drinkers, while having limited impact on more moderate consumers.
Scotland, where the policy has been in place since 2018, has seen a 13.4 per cent reduction in alcohol-specific deaths, especially among men and I believe it is high time that we, like Wales, followed their lead. I will therefore be looking to present a Ten-Minute Rule Bill on this before the summer recess as one of my key public health priorities.
The rise and rise of gambling advertising is another trend on which we need to take urgent action. It is widely accepted that gambling is highly addictive and yet has become ever-present across sports events, television, children’s YouTube content and social media – with plenty more to come as we approach the World Cup.
Would we in 2026 allow this level of exposure to tobacco or alcohol products, especially to children? And yet for all the widespread damage and cost to our NHS we continue to treat gambling as a regulatory matter for the Department of Culture, Media and Sport, rather than as one for the Department of Health and Social Care.
There are of course many other examples of big business driving addictive behaviour, not least the junk food industry and social media giants. I came into politics to help improve our health and wellbeing, and that means continuing to press for stronger regulation wherever we see profit being put before people.
As always, you can contact me at [email protected]