Minimum price for alcohol set at 40p per unit

Scotland on Sunday understands that the SNP is poised to back a 40p per unit rate for all alcoholic drinks when it announces its full plans later this year. The government believes that it will stop shops from selling loss-leading cheap drink, while leaving more expensive brands untouched.

Under a 40p rate, a bottle of vodka – which contains 26 units of alcohol but can now be bought for less than £7 – would retail at a minimum of £10.40. Similarly, large bottles of cheap cider, which can be bought for less than £3, would more than double in price.

The 40p rate may also fail to satisfy medics, many of whom believe only a 50p per unit rate will adequately cut drinking. A report in the medical journal the Lancet found last week that such a rate would cut heavy drinkers' intake by 10 per cent.