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| Scotch Whisky Association allowed minimum pricing appeal | Scotch Whisky Association allowed minimum pricing appeal |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| The Scotch Whisky Association (SWA) can take its appeal against a minimum price for alcohol to the UK Supreme Court, judges have ruled. | |
| The trade body was given permission to go to Britain's highest court at a hearing at the Court of Session on Wednesday. | The trade body was given permission to go to Britain's highest court at a hearing at the Court of Session on Wednesday. |
| Whisky firms wants to stop the Scottish government's plans to regulate the price of alcohol. | |
| The policy was passed by MSPs at Holyrood in 2012. | The policy was passed by MSPs at Holyrood in 2012. |
| The SWA believes that the proposal contravenes EU regulation law. | |
| Earlier this year, Judges Lord Carloway, Lord Brodie and Lord Menzies ruled that the Scottish government's plans were legally sound. | |
| However, the three judges have now allowed the association to go to the Supreme Court after hearing from the organisation's advocate Aidan O'Neill QC. | |
| Mr O'Neill told the court on Tuesday that the court's ruling from earlier this year misunderstood European law and said his client should be allowed to attend the Supreme Court. | |
| The Lord President, Lord Carloway, then allowed Mr O'Neill's request to take the matter to senior judges in London. | |
| He said: "This is a difficult matter. However, on balance we will grant leave to appeal." | |
| The development comes almost five years after the Scottish government introduced a bill for minimum pricing to Holyrood. | |
| MSPs passed the bill in May 2012. It stated that retailers could not sell alcohol below a minimum price. | |
| Under the plans, the cheapest bottle of wine would be £4.69, a four pack of 500ml cans of beer would cost at least £4 and a bottle of whisky could not be sold for less than £14. | |
| The proposals for minimum pricing would be "experimental" and would expire at the end of a six-year period. | |
| The SWA objected to the legislation and took the matter to the Court of Session. |