MIKE Nesbitt looks set to be the fifth health minister to have attempted to introduce minimum unit pricing for alcohol and failed.

He announced last week that the policy was “no longer deliverable” before the next Assembly election.

Nesbitt made no attempt to hide his frustration, describing it as a missed opportunity which would have allowed the Assembly to make a meaningful difference to alcohol-related harms.

Primary legislation had been planned for introduction in 2026-27, but without the agreement of the DUP this timeframe was no longer realistic.

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A minimum unit price (MUP) sets a floor below which alcohol cannot be sold to consumers.

This means that the minimum price is directly linked to the amount of alcohol in the product.

Significantly, MUP only directly affects products sold below the floor price. This means the price of a pint in the pub would not be impacted, nor would most other drinks sold in pubs, restaurants or nightclubs. All of these already cost well above 50p per unit.

The main impact would be on alcohol sold in supermarkets and off-licences, particularly multi-packs of beer and cider, cheaper spirit brands and strong ‘white’ ciders.

Northern Ireland looks set to be the only jurisdiction on the island of Ireland and in the United Kingdom without........

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