SNP alcohol policy boosts sales of Buckfast

BUCKFAST sales in Scotland surged 40 per cent after Nicola Sturgeon introduced alcohol minimum pricing, according to an official analysis that prompted more warnings her flagship public health policy had backfired.

The Public Health Scotland report said that in the year after introduction of the minimum price of 50p per unit of alcohol in May 2018, sales of fortified wines surged by nearly a fifth (18 per cent).

The volume of Buckfast sold rose by the highest amount, as the analysis-found a “greater relative increase” in sales than in the previous two years. In contrast, sales of the tonic wine, which has been linked to antisocial behaviour, fell in England and Wales and “were a fraction of those in Scotland”.

The Tories said minimum unit pricing (MUP) had prompted drinkers to switch from cheap options such as cider, the cost of which rose substantially, to stronger beverages like Buckfast. It was unaffected by MUP as it costs about £8 per bottle, more than 50p per unit of alcohol.

Tess White, the Scottish Tories’ health spokesman, said: “Minimum pricing may be doing more harm than good.” Maree Todd, the SNP’S public health minister, said MUP drove down the use of cheap, high-strength alcohol.