Booze prices to go up from September as minimum unit increase confirmed
base rate of minimum unit pricing (MUP) for alcohol will rise from September, it has been confirmed, as Deputy First Minister Shona Robison claimed the decision struck a “reasonable balance”.
The decision means the minimum price per unit of alcohol that can sold in Scotland will increase from 50p to 65p. It means the lowest price for a bottle of wine will rise from £4.88 to £6.34. The change, which has to be approved by the Scottish Parliament, will not take place until September 30, Ms Robison confirmed.
The Scottish Government said a price increase is required to counteract the effects of inflation.if Parliament agrees to the increase, it will take effect on September 30. The rise, which had been previously mooted, was described as “flawed” by critics, with Scottish Conservatives’ shadow health secretary, Dr Sandesh Gulhane, saying research claiming MUP had reduced deaths was not accurate.
But Ms Robison said: “Research commended by internationally-renowned public health experts estimated that our world-leading MUP policy has saved hundreds of lives, likely averted hundreds of alcohol-attributable hospital admissions and contributed to reducing health inequalities. Despite this progress, deaths caused specifically by alcohol rose last year – and my sympathy goes out to all those who have lost a loved one. We believe the proposals, which are supportthe ed by Scotland’s chief medical officer, strike a reasonable balance between public health benefits and any effects on the alcoholic drinks market and impact on consumers.” Last year, a meta analysis of more than 40 independent studies, published by Public Health Scotland (PHS), concluded MUP was “effective”. According to PHS, the meta-analysis shows MUP “has reduced deaths directly caused by alcohol consumption by an estimated 13.4 per cent and hospital admissions by 4.1 per cent, with the largest reductions seen in men and those living in the 40 per cent most deprived areas”.
The report’s authors say this equates to 150 fewer deaths and 400 fewer admissions in 2022/23, using England – which has not implemented a MUP policy – as a control. Despite this, deaths have increased since 2018, when the policy was first implemented.
The Scottish Conservatives’ shadow health secretary, Dr Sandesh Gulhane, said the evidence that MUP has prevented deaths is flawed. Responding to the MUP rate rise, Dr Gulhane said: “Let's start with alcohol-related deaths. They're at a 14-year high in Scotland and even a novice statistician would tell you the hospitalisation data was not statistically significant. There are 40 studies in the evaluation of MUP and only one claimed a reduction in deaths. Saying MUP has reduced deaths is not accurate, as it was an estimate based on statistical modelling and if compared to Northern Ireland and not England, would have shown MUP caused deaths.”
The latest figures, published by National Records of Scotland, show there were 1,276 alcohol-specific deaths registered in Scotland in 2022 – an increase of 2 per cent on 2021. Female deaths rose by 31 to 440, with male deaths unchanged at 836.
Dr Iain Kennedy, of BMA Scotland, said his organisation, a long-standing supporter” of MUP, “strongly welcomed” the announcement. However, David Hume, a GMB Scotland organiser in the drinks industry, said the case for continuing with MUP “gets weaker with every piece of research published.