‘Bias’ row over SNP advisers on alcohol

THE SNP is on a fresh collision course with the alcohol industry after appointing anti-drink lobbyists to advise on a major advertising crackdown.

The Scottish Daily Mail can reveal that drink chiefs were snubbed when the Government assembled its panel of experts – but temperance campaigners feature heavily.

Senior figures in the multi-billion pound whisky industry are furious and fear the ‘biased’ panel will persuade the SNP to introduce tough restrictions on advertising, which could put cultural and sporting events at risk if they lose vital sponsorship cash.

There could be restrictions on print-based adverts, with the Scottish Government’s latest war on drinkers due to be unveiled later this year. The move comes at a time when relations with the SNP are already strained over its ‘minimum pricing’ policy.

Its refusal to ditch the plan to hike the cost of alcohol has cost taxpayers around £370,000 in legal fees.

The money has been spent by the Scottish Government defending the proposal in the

‘Temperance movement puppets’

courts, despite being repeatedly warned from the start that it would be torpedoed by Europe.

At the end of last year, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) in Luxembourg concluded that minimum pricing would restrict the market, which could only be avoided by the introduction of an alternative tax increase.

Seven members of the 19-strong panel of experts signed a letter to a newspaper in 2014, arguing to ‘make alcohol sports sponsorship a thing of the past’.

But one senior drinks industry insider said: ‘The panel is completely biased, and there is a lack of advertising experience so how could they come up with any informed advice?’

Another senior insider said the panel was made up of ‘temperance movement puppets’.

But Minister for Public Health and Sport Aileen Campbell said: ‘We believe that the impact of alcohol advertising on children and young people could and should be reduced and that is why we’ve established this group of experts who will advise on ways this could be achieved.

‘We also have ongoing dialogue with the advertising industry on this.’