The minimum unit price for alcohol in Scotland has increased by 30% as part of efforts to tackle deaths and hospital admissions linked to alcohol harm.
From Monday, the minimum unit price (MUP) rises from 50p to 65p.
Price change under the 65p MUP: • Scotch whisky 40%: 700ml bottle will increase from £14 to £18.20. • Vodka/gin 37.5%: 700ml bottle will increase from £13.13 to £17.07. • Wine 13%: 750ml bottle will increase from £4.88 to £6.34. • Beer 5%: 4x440ml cans will increase from £4.40 to £5.72. • Cider 4.5%: 4x440ml cans will increase from £3.96 to £5.15.
In 2018, Scotland became the first country in the world to ban retailers from selling alcohol below 50p per unit.
The MUP aims to reduce consumption at population level, with a particular focus on targeting those who drink at “hazardous and harmful” levels.
Health Secretary Neil Gray said the Scottish government is “determined to do all it can to reduce alcohol-related harm”.
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Image: Health Secretary Neil Gray. Pic: PA
He added: “I am working to ensure people with problematic alcohol use receive the same quality of care and support as those dealing with problematic drugs use.
“We have also made a record £112m available to Alcohol and Drug Partnerships to deliver or commission treatment and support services locally, as well as investing £100m in residential rehabilitation.
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“I have also asked that Public Health Scotland is commissioned to review evidence and options for reducing exposure to alcohol marketing.”
The latest figures from National Records of Scotland showed an increase of one from the previous year, which was the highest number of alcohol-related deaths since 2008.
Research conducted by Public Health Scotland estimated that in the two-and-a-half years following MUP implementation, there were 13.4% fewer alcohol-related deaths north of the border relative to England.
This is estimated to be equivalent to an average of 156 lives saved in Scotland per year.
The data also showed hospital admissions wholly attributable to alcohol decreased by 4.1% over the same period.
However, the report noted there was “limited evidence to suggest that MUP was effective in reducing consumption for people with alcohol dependence”.
Alcohol Focus Scotland supports the MUP but has warned against treating it as a “silver bullet” in tackling the ongoing health emergency.
The charity is calling for the MUP to be “automatically uprated by inflation going forward”, alongside the introduction of an alcohol harm prevention levy on alcohol retailers to raise money to fund public prevention, treatment and recovery support.
Image: Alison Douglas, chief executive of Alcohol Focus Scotland
Alison Douglas, chief executive of Alcohol Focus Scotland, said: “The uprating of the minimum unit price for alcohol to 65p is a welcome and necessary step to ensure that this life-saving policy remains effective.
“The Scottish government and parliament are to be commended for implementing this policy in the first place, and for deciding to renew the policy and increase the minimum price.”
Ms Douglas added that the Scottish government must take further action.
She said: “Introducing MUP was a great example of government doing the right thing for the health and prosperity of our nation.
“It’s time to show leadership in tackling alcohol harm once again by improving the identification of people at risk of alcohol problems; increasing access to treatment and recovery support for those already experiencing them; and taking preventative action on marketing and availability to protect future generations.”
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The Scottish Grocers’ Federation (SGF) has always been supportive of the MUP but does not agree with it rising to 65p.
Image: Dr Pete Cheema, chief executive of the Scottish Grocers’ Federation
Dr Pete Cheema, chief executive of the trade association, told Sky News: “It wasn’t really clear to us what impact the policy had had on consumption in Scotland.
“Bearing in mind a lot of the analysis that had been done, had been done during a period when we had COVID and everything was shut and it wasn’t business as usual.”
Dr Cheema said the analysis to date had been “very, very unclear”.
He added: “And that’s why we had advocated that we should wait another five years and leave the MUP at 50p before we take any further action.”
Dr Cheema said the SGF is concerned about the impact of increasing prices on top of the cost of living crisis as well as “exacerbating retail crime”.
He said: “I hope it does have the change that the government want, but that remains to be seen.”
Eight men have been arrested by the Metropolitan Police in two unconnected terrorism investigations.
In one operation on Saturday, counter-terror officers arrested five men, four of whom are Iranian nationals. All are in police custody.
The Met said the arrests related to a “suspected plot to target a specific premises”.
In an update shortly after midnight, the force said: “Officers have been in contact with the affected site to make them aware and provide relevant advice and support, but for operational reasons, we are not able to provide further information at this time.”
It added officers were carrying out searches at a number of addresses in the Greater Manchester, London and Swindon areas in connection with the investigation.
It said those detained were:
• A 29-year-old man arrested in the Swindon area • A 46-year-old man arrested in west London • A 29-year-old man arrested in the Stockport area • A 40-year-old man arrested in the Rochdale area • A man whose age was not confirmed arrested in the Manchester area.
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Commander Dominic Murphy, head of the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command, said: “This is a fast-moving investigation and we are working closely with those at the affected site to keep them updated.
“The investigation is still in its early stages and we are exploring various lines of enquiry to establish any potential motivation as well as to identify whether there may be any further risk to the public linked to this matter.
“We understand the public may be concerned and as always, I would ask them to remain vigilant and if they see or hear anything that concerns them, then to contact us.
“We are working closely with local officers in the areas where we have made arrests today and I’d like to thank police colleagues around the country for their ongoing support.”
Terror arrests in separate investigation
Police also arrested three further Iranian nationals in London on Saturday as part of another, unrelated counter terror investigation.
The suspects were detained under section 27 of the National Security Act 2023, which allows police to arrest those suspected of being “involved in foreign power threat activity”.
Home secretary Yvette Cooper said in a statement: “I want to thank the police and our security services for the action they have taken to keep our country safe.
“Protecting national security is the first duty of government and our police and security services have our strong support in their vital work.”
She added: “These are serious events that demonstrate the ongoing requirement to adapt our response to national security threats.”
Tributes have been paid to 14-year-old Layton Carr who died in a fire at an industrial estate.
Eleven boys and three girls, aged between 11 and 14 years, have been arrested on suspicion of manslaughter after the incident in Gateshead on Friday. They remain in police custody.
Image: Police were alerted to a fire at Fairfield industrial park in the Bill Quay area
Firefighters raced to Fairfield industrial park in the Bill Quay area shortly after 8pm, putting out the blaze a short time later.
Police then issued an appeal for a missing boy, Layton Carr, who was believed to be in the area at the time.
In a statement, the force said that “sadly, following searches, a body believed to be that of 14-year-old Layton Carr was located deceased inside the building”.
Layton’s next of kin have been informed and are being supported by specialist officers, police added.
Image: Layton has been described as a ‘beautiful soul’
A fundraising page on GoFundMe has been set up to help Layton’s mother pay for funeral costs.
Organiser Stephanie Simpson said: “The last thing Georgia needs to stress trying to pay for a funeral for her Boy Any donations will help thank you.”
One tribute in a Facebook post read: “Can’t believe I’m writing this my nephew RIP Layton 💔 forever 14 you’ll be a massive miss, thinking of my sister and 2 beautiful nieces right now.”
Another added: “My boy ❤️ my baby cousin, my Layton. Nothing will ever come close to the pain I feel right now. Forever 14. I’ll miss you sausage.”
A third said: “Rest in peace big lad such a beautiful soul taken far to soon my thoughts are with you Gee stay strong girl hear for u always.”
Detective Chief Inspector Louise Jenkins, of Northumbria Police, also said: “This is an extremely tragic incident where a boy has sadly lost his life.”
She added that the force’s “thoughts are with Layton’s family as they begin to attempt to process the loss of their loved one”.
They are working to establish “the full circumstances surrounding the incident” and officers will be in the area to “offer reassurance to the public”, she added.
A cordon remains in place at the site while police carry out enquiries.
Sky News can reveal that the government has rowed back on a national compensation scheme for victims of child sexual abuse, despite it being promised under the previous Conservative administration.
Warning – this story contains references to sexual and physical abuse
A National Redress Scheme was one of 20 key recommendations made by the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA), but a Home Office report reveals the government has scrapped it because of the cost.
Marie, who is 71, suffered alleged sexual, physical, and emotional abuse at Greenfield House Convent in St Helens, Merseyside, between 1959 and 1962, and is still fighting for compensation.
Image: Greenfield House Convent, where Marie says she was abused
As soon as she arrived as a six-year-old, Marie says her hair was cut off, her name changed, and she experienced regular beatings from the nuns and students.
She claims a nun instigated the violence, including when Marie was held down so that her legs were “spread-eagled” as she was sexually abused with a coat hanger.
Merseyside Police investigated claims of abuse at the convent, but in 2016, a suspect died before charges could be brought.
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Marie has received an apology from the Catholic body that ran the home; she tried to sue them, but her claim was rejected because it was filed too long after the alleged abuse.
Image: Marie, 71, is still fighting for compensation for the abuse she says she suffered as a child
In February, ministers said the law would change for victims of sexual abuse trying to sue institutions for damages, which was a recommendation from the IICSA.
Previously, people had to make a civil claim before they were 21, unless the victim could prove a fair trial could proceed despite the time lapse.
Campaigners argued for the time limit to be removed as, on average, victims wait 26 years to come forward. Changes to the 1980 Limitation Act could lead to more people making claims.
Image: Peter Garsden, President of The Association of Child Abuse Lawyers
Civil cases ‘can take three to five years’
But Peter Garsden, president of the Association of Child Abuse Lawyers, worries that when it comes to historical abuse where the defendant is dead, institutions will still argue that it is impossible to have a fair trial and will fight to have the case thrown out of court.
Mr Garsden said it takes “between three and five years” for a civil case to get to trial.
He warned that claimants “can end up losing if you go through that process. Whereas the Redress Scheme would be quicker, much more straightforward, and much more likely to give justice to the victims”.
Victim awarded £10 compensation
Jimbo, who was a victim of abuse at St Aidan’s children’s home in Cheshire, took his case to the High Court twice and the Court of Appeal three times, but, after 13 years, all he ended up with was £10 for his bus fare to court.
Despite the Lord Justice of Appeal saying he believed that the abuse had occurred, Jimbo lost his claim because of the time limit for child sexual abuse claims to be made.
Neither Marie nor Jimbo is likely to benefit from the removal of the time limit for personal injury claims, which is why Mr Garsden is calling on the government to implement a National Redress Scheme for victims of sexual abuse, as recommended by the IICSA.
Hundreds of millions paid to victims
The governments in Scotland and Northern Ireland have set up compensation schemes and paid hundreds of millions of pounds to victims.
In 2023, the then Conservative government said a similar scheme would be organised for England and Wales.
But the Home Office admitted in its Tackling Child Sexual Abuse: Progress Update that it “is not currently taking forward any further steps on the IICSA proposal for a separate, national financial redress scheme for all survivors of child sexual abuse”.
“In the current fiscal environment, this recommendation is very difficult to take forward,” it added.
For victims, the scheme was the last chance of compensation for a lifetime blighted by abuse.
“The money is about justice and about all the other people who have had to suffer this abuse,” Marie said.