Together with our co-plaintiffs the Scotch Whisky Association and Comité Vins, spiritsEUROPE have decided to appeal the ruling on minimum unit pricing of alcohol from the Scottish Court of Session to the UK Supreme Court. Believing, as we do, that the evidence behind this measure is weak at best, that it is unlikely to have any significant impact on alcohol-related harm, and that the measure is probably illegal under EU law, we are left with no appropriate response other than to appeal to the UK Supreme Court.
We are confident of the ultimate outcome. In the meantime, we will continue with the many campaigns and initiatives we run or finance towards responsible drinking, and against drink drive, underage and binge drinking. We acknowledge and share the Scottish Government’s concerns about these harms caused by excessive drinking, but we do not believe MUP – a theoretical computer-based model, whose predicted outcomes have changed many times - to be an appropriate response
