18.6% increase compared with 2019... The UK recorded its highest ever year-on-year increase of alcohol-related deaths during 2020, with COVID-19 lockdowns playing a huge role in the rise. Figures released today by the the Office of National Statistics (ONS) show that there were 8,974 deaths “from alcohol-specific causes,” an 18.6% increase compared with 2019. That represents the highest year-on-year increase since records began being collected in 2001. In an attempt to deflect the elephant in the living room, the ONS insisted that there are “many complex factors” to consider in explaining the deaths. However, the Alcohol Change charity warned last...