Health regulator to assess Scots alcohol law

Public Health England will be watching how the policy of minimum unit pricing for alcohol in Scotland unfolds “like a hawk”, a health minister has said in an effort to tackle wider alcohol abuse elsewhere.

Steve Brine said that while a previous consultation had found the evidence was not conclusive, the policy was kept under review as part of efforts to tackle alcohol abuse.

This month the Scottish government introduced a new minimum price of 50p per unit of alcohol, becoming the first country in the world to introduce such a policy.

Mr Brine said: “What’s happening in Scotland is very welcome. We’ll be watching [it] like a hawk.”