Wales to hike MUP to 65p
The Welsh government has followed Scotland in increasing minimum unit pricing (MUP) on alcohol to 65p from October 2026.
In 2019, the Welsh government moved forward with plans to approve a 50p MUP for alcohol in Wales following a public consultation. MUP works by multiplying the minimum price (65p) by the strength of the drink (ABV) and its volume in litres.
The Public Health Minimum Price for Alcohol Bill was introduced before the National Assembly for Wales on 23 October 2017 by the public health minister at the time, Rebecca Evans. The bill was approved in June 2018 and implemented from March 2020.
The legislation aims to help tackle alcohol-related harm by reducing the amount of alcohol consumed by harmful drinkers. The government believes MUP stops the sale of alcohol at very low prices.
On 3 February 2026, members of the Welsh Parliament agreed to increase MUP to 65p, effective from 1 October this year. The move was made following a public consultation.
In its summary of the public consultation, the Welsh government acknowledged the concerns that were raised, including cross-border purchasing (as no MUP exists in England) and accusations of a ‘nanny state’ approach. It highlighted that MUP is not a tax and the government would not generate any additional revenue.
Independent research commissioned by the Welsh government claims that the rise to 65p could prevent more than 900 alcohol-related deaths over 20 years and reduce the number of harmful drinkers by nearly 5,000.
Wales’ minister for mental health and wellbeing, Sarah Murphy, said: “Cheap, high-strength alcohol disproportionately affects hazardous and harmful drinkers. The evidence is clear – MUP works.
“We have today taken a decision which will save lives and help protect many people from the harms caused by drinking too much alcohol.”
Scotland introduced MUP in May 2018 and increased it from 50p to 65p in September 2024. The Republic of Ireland implemented MUP in January 2022.
England and Northern Ireland have not adopted MUP.
Alcohol Change UK welcomed the decision to hike up MUP in Wales. Its director for Wales, Andrew Misell, added: “Inflation has steadily eroded the impact of the MUP since it was introduced in 2020. This increase restores the policy’s effectiveness and ensures it can continue to reduce the availability of the cheapest, strongest alcohol that causes the most harm.”
The move drew criticism from trade group UKHospitality, which warned that the industry is already facing increased costs.
David Chapman, executive director of UKHospitality Cymru, said: “Hospitality businesses are facing price pressures at every turn and our sector’s cost burden is growing at an unsustainable rate. Increases to MUP is yet another pressure for businesses to consider.
“The Welsh government should be looking at measures to tackle the cost of doing business, like proper reform of business rates, rather than increasing it.”
The MUP hike comes on top of a multitude of increased costs for the UK drinks industry.
As of 1 February 2026, UK alcohol duty rose by 3.66% in line with RPI inflation. Duty on wine and spirits has increased while beverages below 8.5% ABV have benefited from a small cut.
Wales also plans to introduce a deposit return scheme (DRS) for drink containers, scheduled to launch on 1 October 2027, aligning with other UK nations.
The scheme provides refunds to customers who return their empty drinks containers (after paying an initial fee) to participating sites, with the aim of promoting recycling and reuse.
However, the DRS scheme has faced backlash from the drinks industry for its inclusion of glass. When the scheme launches next year, no initial deposit will be charged on glass as a transitional measure.
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