Scottish Government quietly changes document after UK Statistics Authority finds results were cherry picked from one study out of 40
SNP ministers have been accused of “shamefully misrepresenting” a study into their flagship alcohol policy, after Britain’s statistics watchdog found they had cherry picked evidence to insist it had saved lives.
The devolved government was found to have potentially misled the public by suggesting that independent evidence showed its minimum unit pricing (MUP) policy had been a success. In fact studies showed there was significant uncertainty.
The controversial policy, introduced following a court battle in 2018, set a 50p minimum price per unit of alcohol.
The intervention by the UK Statistics Authority has led to an announcement issued by the Scottish Government, and a document produced by Public Health Scotland (PHS), being quietly changed.