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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.

As part of a “sunset clause” when the legislation was introduced, it had been due to end on 30 April but was continued and increased with parliamentary approval.

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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Minister for Health and Social Care Neil Gray during the SNP annual national conference at the Edinburgh International Conference Centre. Picture date: Sunday September 1, 2024.
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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.

“I have also asked that Public Health Scotland is commissioned to review evidence and options for reducing exposure to alcohol marketing.”

The rise comes as 1,277 people died in 2023 from conditions caused by alcohol.

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.

Alison Douglas, chief executive of Alcohol Focus Scotland
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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.

Dr Pete Cheema, chief executive of the Scottish Grocers' Federation
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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.”

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Donald Trump may be denied privilege of addressing parliament on UK state visit

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Donald Trump may be denied privilege of addressing parliament on UK state visit

Donald Trump may be denied the honour of addressing parliament on his state visit to the UK later this year, with no formal request yet submitted for him to be given that privilege.

It comes after President Macron’s successful state visit this week, in which he was invited to speak in front of both Houses of Parliament.

Sky News has been told the Speaker of the House of Commons, Sir Lindsay Hoyle, hasn’t so far received a request to invite the US president to speak in parliament when he is expected to visit in September.

It was confirmed to MPs who have raised concerns about the US president being allowed to address both houses.

Kate Osborne, Labour MP for Jarrow and Gateshead East, wrote to the speaker in April asking him to stop Mr Trump from addressing parliament, and tabled an early-day motion outlining her concerns.

“I was happy to see Macron here but feel very differently about Trump,” she said.

“Trump has made some very uncomfortable and worrying comments around the UK government, democracy, the Middle East, particularly around equalities and, of course, Ukraine.

“So, I think there are many reasons why, when we’re looking at a state visit, we should be looking at why they’re being afforded that privilege. Because, of course, it is a privilege for somebody to come and address both of the houses.”

But the timing of the visit may mean that any diplomatic sensitivities, or perceptions of a snub, could be avoided.

Macron addressing Parliament
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France’s President Emmanuel Macron addressed parliament during his state visit this month

Lord Ricketts, a former UK ambassador to France, pointed out that parliament isn’t sitting for much of September, and that could help resolve the issue.

In 2017, he wrote a public letter questioning the decision to give Donald Trump his first state visit, saying it put Queen Elizabeth II in a “very difficult position”.

Parliament rises from 16 September until 13 October due to party conferences.

The dates for the state visit haven’t yet been confirmed by Buckingham Palace or the government.

However, they have not denied that it will take place in September, after Mr Trump appeared to confirm they were planning to hold the state visit that month. The palace confirmed this week that the formal planning for his arrival had begun.

Donald Trump. Pic: Reuters
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Mr Trump has said he believes the trip to the UK will take place in September. Pic: Reuters

When asked about parliamentary recess potentially solving the issue, Ms Osborne said: “It may be a way of dealing with it in a very diplomatic way… I don’t know how much control we have over Trump’s diary.

“But if we can manoeuvre it in a way that means that the House isn’t sitting, then that seems like a good solution, maybe not perfect, because I’d actually like him to know that he’s not welcome.”

A message from the speaker’s office, seen by Sky News, says: “Formal addresses to both Houses of Parliament are not automatically included in the itinerary of such a state visit.

“Whether a foreign head of state addresses parliament, during a state visit or otherwise, is part of the planning decisions.”

The King and Mr Trump raising a toast in 2019. Pic: Reuters
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Mr Trump made his first state visit to the UK in June 2019 during his first presidency. File pic: Reuters

It’s understood that if the government agrees to a joint address to parliament, the Lord Chamberlain’s office writes to the two speakers, on behalf of the King, to ask them to host this.

It will be Mr Trump’s second state visit.

During his first, in 2019, he didn’t address parliament, despite the fact that his predecessor, Barack Obama, was asked to do so.

It was unclear if this was due to the fact John Bercow, the speaker at the time, made it clear he wasn’t welcome to do so.

However, it didn’t appear to dampen Mr Trump’s excitement about his time with the Royal Family.

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Speaking earlier this year, he described his state visit as “a fest” adding “it’s an honour… I’m a friend of Charles, I have great respect for King Charles and the family, William; we have really just a great respect for the family. And I think they’re setting a date for September.”

It is expected that, like Mr Macron, the pageantry for his trip this time will revolve around Windsor, with refurbishment taking place at Buckingham Palace.

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Fuel to engines of Air India plane that crashed cut off moments after take-off, report finds

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Fuel to engines of Air India plane that crashed cut off moments after take-off, report finds

Fuel to the engines of the Air India plane that crashed last month appears to have cut off shortly after take-off, a preliminary report has found.

According to the report switches in the cockpit that controlled fuel moved to a “CUTOFF” position.

It said: “Engine 1 and Engine 2 fuel cutoff switches transitioned from RUN to CUTOFF position one after another with a time gap of one second.

“The Engine N1 and N2 began to decrease from their take-off values as the fuel supply to the engines was cut off.”

The crash site. Pic: AAIB
Image:
The crash site. Pic: AAIB

There was then confusion in the cockpit. In the voice recording, one of the pilots is heard asking the other why he “cut off”. The other pilot responds that he did not do so.

There were no conclusions as to how the switches were moved.

One of the engines was able to be restarted, but could not reverse the plane’s deceleration, the report found.

“At this stage of investigation, there are no recommended actions to Boeing 787-8 and/or GE GEnx-1B engine operators and manufacturers,” India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) said in the report.

A diagram in the report showing how the plane crashed into a building. Pic: AAIB
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A diagram in the report shows how the plane crashed into a building. Pic: AAIB

No significant bird activity was observed in the vicinity of the plane’s flight path, the report said. The aircraft started to lose altitude before crossing the airport perimeter wall, it added.

The plane plummeted into a busy area, killing 241 passengers and 19 others on the ground while incinerating everything around it.

The AAIB’s report is based on the initial findings of the probe, marking 30 days since the crash.

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Liverpool retires number 20 shirt at all levels in honour of Diogo Jota

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Liverpool retires number 20 shirt at all levels in honour of Diogo Jota

Liverpool have retired the number 20 shirt in honour of Diogo Jota – the first time it has made such a gesture.

The club said it was a “unique tribute to a uniquely wonderful person” and the decision was made in consultation with his wife and family.

The number 20 will be retired at all levels, including the men’s and women’s first teams and academy squads.

A statement said: “It was the number he wore with pride and distinction, leading us to countless victories in the process – and Diogo Jota will forever be Liverpool Football Club’s number 20.”

The club called it a “recognition of not only the immeasurable contribution our lad from Portugal made to the Reds’ on-pitch successes over the last five years, but also the profound personal impact he had on his teammates, colleagues and supporters and the everlasting connections he built with them”.

Jota's wife joined Liverpool players to view tributes at Anfield on Friday. Pic: Liverpool FC
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Jota’s wife joined Liverpool players to view tributes at Anfield on Friday. Pic: Liverpool FC

Pic: Liverpool FC
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Pic: Liverpool FC

Newly-married Jota died alongside his brother when his Lamborghini crashed in northern Spain on 3 July.

Police said this week that all the evidence so far suggests Jota was the one driving the vehicle.

Liverpool teammates joined members of Jota’s family, including his wife Rute, at a huge memorial site outside Anfield on Friday.

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A fan looks at messages written onto a memorial wall created near Anfield Stadium. Pic: Reuters
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A fan looks at messages on a memorial wall near Anfield. Pic: Reuters


Liverpool's captain Virgil van Dijk and Liverpool's player Andrew Robertson arrive on the day of the funeral ceremony of Liverpool's Portug
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Virgil van Dijk and Andy Robertson were among players at the funeral. Pic: Reuters

The star’s funeral took place last weekend, with Liverpool colleagues and members of the Portuguese national team in attendance.

Reds captain Virgil van Dijk carried a shirt bearing the number 20 made from flowers.

Liverpool players returned to the club’s training ground for the start of pre-season on Tuesday.

Their first game since Jota’s death will be on Sunday when they play a friendly away against Preston North End.

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