Minimum Pricing

Legislation

Spirits will be hit hardest by minimum alcohol pricing

14-Nov-2016 By Nicholas Robinson

Spirits will be hit the hardest out of all alcohol categories following the Scottish government’s announced plans to back minimum alcohol pricing.

Minimum pricing

New plans for minimum alcohol pricing revealed by Welsh government

16-Jul-2015 By Emily Sutherland

The Welsh government has published plans to introduce a minimum price for alcohol.

Adam Boulton: 'Expect David Cameron to look again at minimum pricing'

30-Apr-2014 By James Wallin

Veteran political reporter Adam Boulton has warned the pub trade to expect David Cameron to perform a ‘u-turn on his u-turn’ and re-visit minimum pricing of alcohol.

Minimum pricing would have 'negligible' impact on low income moderate drinkers, says report

10-Feb-2014 By Ellie Bothwell

Minimum alcohol pricing of 45p per unit would reduce deaths and hospital admissions among those who purchase large quantities of low cost alcohol, but would have negligible effects on low income moderate drinkers’ alcohol consumption and spending.

Shelving minimum pricing saved on-trade from £62m revenue drop, says new report

23-Jul-2013 By Gurjit Degun

The Government’s decision to shelve a 45p minimum unit price for alcohol has saved the on-trade from a £62.2m drop in revenue.

Prime Minister David Cameron promises to tackle cheap alcohol

10-May-2013

David Cameron has promised to introduce a “package of measures” to tackle cheap alcohol despite failing to include minimum pricing in Wednesday’s Queen’s Speech.

CAMRA U-turn over minimum unit alcohol pricing

01-May-2013 By Michelle Perrett

The Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) has been forced to make a U-turn over its support for alcohol minimum pricing after a ruling by members at its AGM earlier this month.

Minimum pricing: It's difficult to speak with one voice

18-Apr-2013 By Rob Willock

It was an interesting coalition of a dozen industry leaders who put their name to a letter published in the Daily Telegraph last week urging Prime Minister David Cameron to stick to his previously announced plans to introduce minimum pricing for alcohol.

London mayor Boris Johnson criticises minimum pricing

19-Feb-2013

London Major Boris Johnson has become the latest high-profile Conservative to criticise the Government’s plans to introduce a minimum price of alcohol.

Minimum pricing: pubs will lose out on one in four customers, says YouGov poll

28-Jan-2013 By Gurjit Degun

Introducing a minimum price of 45p per unit will deter four in 10 customers from pubs, according to a new poll by YouGov.

Retailers and drink producers set to launch campaign against minimum pricing

28-Jan-2013

Major retailers and drinks producers are reportedly set to launch a new campaign in opposition to the Government’s plans for minimum pricing.

Minimum pricing: will damage limitation work?

19-Dec-2012 By Poppleston Allen

There has been much recent publicity concerning difficulties the UK on-trade is experiencing in competing in a marketplace where most alcohol sold is now consumed at home.

Minimum pricing won’t make alcohol expensive

11-Dec-2012 By Mark Daniels

So I seem to have spent much of the last ten days fending off questions from customers about just what the Minimum Price legislation would mean to them. It’s amusing to watch how a little bit of pub maths and a lot of hyperbole can make somebody’s perception...

How minimum pricing might increase alcohol consumption

05-Dec-2012 By Phil Mellows

It’s worth asking, now the government has launched the consultation process around its proposals for a 45p minimum unit price for alcohol, how it’s going to work in the real world.

Minimum pricing, maximum uncertainty

28-Nov-2012 By Rob Willock

Minimum pricing for alcohol is a divisive issue. We’ve covered the matter from various angles over the past year and featured opinion articles from people both for and against its introduction.

No minimum pricing until ‘at least 2014’ confirms leading Tory politician

22-Oct-2012

Legal challenges across Europe are set to delay plans to introduce minimum pricing for alcohol in England and Wales for another two years at least, a leading Tory MP has admitted.

Asda director urges Government to drop minimum pricing and calls on industry to lose two billion units of alcohol

19-Sep-2012 By Gurjit Degun

The Government should drop minimum pricing and in return the drinks industry should pledge to drop two billion units of alcohol out of the market by 2013 — that’s the call from supermarket Asda.

Minimum pricing is not based on good evidence, says Diageo's Mark Baird

18-Sep-2012 By Gurjit Degun

Minimum pricing is a “solution desperately searching for a problem” that is not based on good evidence, according to Diageo head of industry affairs and alcohol policy Mark Baird.

Linking minimum pricing to inflation is a "real concern" claims British Beer & Pub Association

18-Sep-2012 By Gurjit degun

Linking minimum pricing to inflation will mean that the basic unit price will only increase which is a "real concern"  the British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA) has stated.

Alcohol minimum pricing is the best lifeline to help licensees

17-Sep-2012 By Tony Brookes

Imagine that a huge number of pub owners, tenants and lessees continue to be on the verge of going bust as the steady trend towards drinking at home, instead of drinking in the pub, continues, says Tony Brookes.

Government Alcohol Strategy response "moves goal posts" over tackling supermarket alcohol promotions

17-Sep-2012 By Michelle Perrett

The Government response to the Health Select Committee report on the Alcohol Strategy has "moved the goal posts" over tackling cut price alcohol, claims the Association of Licensed Multiple Retailers (ALMR).

CAMRA's Good Beer Guide 2013 accuses government of failing pubs

10-Sep-2012 By Michelle Perrett

The coalition Government has done nothing to support the pub trade or tackle the “distorting power” of the country’s supermarkets claims the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) Good Beer Guide 2013.

Minimum pricing and a divided drinks industry

07-Sep-2012

Whether it actually happens or not, the debate around minimum unit pricing continues to make all sorts of waves and has exposed many of the deeper political questions that underlie alcohol policy.

Majority of publicans back plans for minimum pricing of alcohol

30-Aug-2012 By Michelle Perrett

The majority of licensees in England and Wales support plans to introduce a minimum price on alcohol, according to a national survey by the BII (British Institute of Innkeeping).

Local Government Association gives cool response to plans for minimum pricing

22-Aug-2012 By John Harrington

A body representing local authorities has given a cool response to plans to introduce a minimum price of alcohol, saying that tackling cheap drinks is “only one part of the problem”.

Greene King calls for Westminster Government to follow Scotland and introduce minimum pricing

21-Aug-2012 By John Harrington

Greene King, the brewer and pub operator, has called for the Westminster Government to follow Scotland and push for minimum pricing of alcohol at 45-50p per unit to avoid the emergence of “booze cruises” between the different UK countries.

Time for the drinks industry to do its own research on minimum pricing

02-Aug-2012 By Pete Brown

Minimum pricing looks likely to be introduced despite a lack of evidence to suggest that it would help eradicate problem drinking — so why doesn’t the drinks industry produce its own research?

Legal battle over minimum pricing in Scotland set to begin

20-Jul-2012 By John Harrington

Drinks lobbyists from across Europe have applied for a judicial review of Scotland’s plans to introduce a minimum price of alcohol, while a complaint has also been lodged in Europe.

Health minister Anne Milton defends alcohol minimum pricing plans

13-Jun-2012 By Gurjit Degun

The Government has defended claims that introducing an alcohol minimum price of 40p per unit is a "using a sledge hammer to crack a nut", saying that evidence shows that alcohol consumption is price sensitive.

BBPA chief Brigid Simmonds warns MPs over effectiveness of alcohol minimum pricing

23-May-2012 By Michelle Perrett

Minimum pricing will not target those with serious alcohol problems, British Beer & Pub Association chief executive Brigid Simmonds warned yesterday.

Six clichés of uncertainty

15-Mar-2012 By Rob Willock

When several national newspapers simultaneously run a story saying the prime minister is committed to minimum pricing for alcohol, you can be pretty sure the policy is on its way in one form or another.

Miliband urged to support minimum pricing

11-Mar-2012 By Michelle Perrett

A Scottish MP has urged the Labour leader Ed Miliband to back plans for the minimum pricing of alcohol in the UK.  

Cameron to force through minimum pricing

05-Mar-2012

Prime Minister David Cameron could be facing a backlash from his cabinet after pushing for minimum pricing to be introduced.

Illegal minimum-pricing schemes operating in UK

17-Feb-2012 By Adam Pescod

Minimum-pricing schemes are operating illegally in certain parts of the United Kingdom, delegates at the National Pubwatch conference last week.

Minimum pricing 'would deter pre-loading'

12-Jan-2012 By Gurjit Degun

Minimum pricing would reduce pre-loading among young people on cheap supermarket alcohol, the charity Alcohol Focus Scotland has told a committee of MSPs in Scottish Parliament.

Minimum pricing 'will cut consumption'

05-Jan-2012

The introduction of a minimum pricing policy for the sale of alcohol could see a significant reduction in consumption, according to researchers in Canada.

Minimum Pricing Could Go Horribly Wrong For Pubs

04-Jan-2012 By Mark Daniels

So that was Christmas. Another year over, a new one just begun. And all that jazz. What with the collapse of capitalism and the Mayan prophecy of doom, 2012 is stacking up to be a good year.

Pricing us out of an alcohol problem?

21-Dec-2011 By Phil Mellows

It must be that time of year. We’re getting deluged with alcohol-related stories and studies. There really ought to be a recommended limit for consuming this kind of stuff.

SBPA calls for trial period for minimum pricing bill

16-Dec-2011 By Gurjit Degun

The Scottish Beer and Pub Association (SBPA) has called for the Scottish Parliament to include a trial period as a provision in the minimum pricing bill, if it goes ahead.

‘Use VAT to combat cheap drinks’

10-Nov-2011 By PMA Team

Trade leaders have urged the Government to use VAT as the lever to level the playing field with the cheap supermarket deals and combat binge drinking rather than follow Scotland’s lead on minimum pricing.

Scottish Beer and Pub Association voices minimum price concerns

02-Nov-2011 By Adam Pescod

The Scottish Beer and Pub Association (SBPA) has expressed “concern” about parts of the Minimum Pricing Bill published by the Scottish Government yesterday.

Minimum pricing 'a restriction on civil liberties'

27-May-2011 By Adam Pescod

Conservative MP Louise Bagshawe told BBC's Question Time last night that minimum pricing on alcohol would be a restriction on civil liberties.

SNP prepares for minimum pricing

19-May-2011 By Michelle Perrett

A minimum pricing law could be introduced in Scotland as early as April next year, following the landslide victory of the Scottish National Party...

Scots trade chief in pricing debate plea

28-Apr-2011 By Lesley Foottit

A Scottish trade chief has hit out at the ever-increasing burden of legislation and denounced minimum pricing plans.

Scottish leaders clash over minimum pricing — again

21-Apr-2011 By Michelle Perrett

Scotland's party leaders clashed in a debate about the minimum pricing of alcohol on BBC Scotland's Politics Show leader's debate. Scottish Labour...

Leading police officer in Scotland supports minimum pricing

07-Apr-2011 By Graham Ridout

The chances of Scotland setting a minimum pricing policy on alcohol increased this week, after the move was supported by a leading police officer....

SNP vows to revive minimum pricing

15-Mar-2011 By Gurjit Degun

The Scottish National Party has vowed to revive its failed campaign to introduce a minimum price for alcohol.

Cheap booze, cheap lives

20-Dec-2010 By Phil Mellows

Price is only one factor in a multiplicity of determinants that cause people to develop alcohol problems, says Phil Mellows.

Wirral asks residents if they want minimum price

01-Dec-2010 By Gurjit Degun

Wirral council is asking residents whether minimum pricing on alcohol should be implemented in the borough. The council explained that it is looking...

The problem with minimum pricing

18-Nov-2010 By Matt Eley Matt

In an industry where it sometimes seems that business leaders struggle to agree on anything at all, there is one issue that has divided opinion like...