Labour MSs – who also stood as Cooperative Party candidates – have been accused of hypocrisy for supporting the minimum unit alcohol price (MUP) while the Co-op shop pushes cheap alcohol in online offers.
More than half (16/30) of Labour MSs are also Cooperative Party representatives, seven of which are members of Mark Drakeford’s cabinet including Economy Minister Vaughan Gething, Education Minister Jeremy Miles, and Deputy Minister for Mental Health Lynne Neagle.
Five of the 16 are classified as Labour-Coop MSs on the Senedd website. There are also four Labour-Coop MPs in Wales – Christina Rees, Stephen Doughty, Geraint Davies, and Chris Evans.
Commenting, Welsh Conservative and Shadow Health Minister Russell George MS said:
“There is a hypocritical vein running through the Labour Government at the best of times, and so it is when it comes to minimum alcohol pricing for half of their Senedd politicians.
“Labour-Coop politicians should choose a side and say whether they are in support of government policy that wants greater restrictions on alcohol or not.
“We are seeing more and more evidence recently that casts doubt on the effectiveness of MUP as it is, which is why I have been calling for a review of the law to see if it should be scrapped.
“Given the Coop’s practices, I look forward to their representatives supporting that call."
