British distillers have spoken up after the Prime Minister doubled down on his claim that the sector is faced with a “great problem” of whether they can produce enough to meet demand. In his speech at the British Chambers of Commerce speech this morning (26 June), Keir Starmer said: “I’ve spoken to some of our whisky and gin distillers about the…

Drinks industry bodies are pushing for either a freeze or cut in alcohol duty in the new Labour government’s first Budget, due to be revealed by chancellor Rachel Reeves on October 30. The Wine & Spirit Trade Association said it wanted to see a freeze in duty for at least two years, while the British Beer & Pub Association called for a cut…

The alcohol-free industry has urged the new health minister to end the delay on labelling reforms.   Just under 80 alcohol-free brands, suppliers and drinks experts have pushed Andrew Gwynne MP to act on “outdated alcohol-free drinks descriptors”.   In a letter to Gwynne, industry leaders explained that the current labelling regulations confuse consumers and stop them making informed choices about alcohol-free…

The government has proposed to increase the abv threshold for low/no drinks in a move to make alcohol-free products more widely available. Currently, only drinks with an abv below 0.05% are considered alcohol-free in the UK. This threshold sits at 0.5% abv in countries such as Belgium, Portugal, Germany and the US.  The UK is now looking to adopt a new product…

The Scottish government has proposed an increase in the Minimum Unit Price (MUP) for alcohol, as ministers look at the future of the scheme. Last week, Elena Whitman MSP, minister for drugs and alcohol policy, set out a consultation for the continuation of MUP, as well as future pricing. MUP, implemented in 2018 at 50p per unit, is subject to a sunset clause and will…

The Federation of Independent Retailers (the Fed) and the British Independent Retailers Association (BIRA) have called on the government to help retailers prevent shoplifting, as crime rates increase.  In a letter to policing minister Chris Philp, the groups cited data from the Office for National Statistics that noted a 24% rise in shoplifting across England and Wales in the year ending March 2023. …

Trade organisation the Scotch Whisky Association (SWA) has said the Scottish government will support its responsible drinking campaign, after the SWA’s governing council met with first minister Humza Yousaf to discuss how the industry and government can work together. The SWA’s Made to be Measured campaign was launching in March to raise awareness of the alcoholic content of drinks, and the recommended weekly limit of…