Lord says courts should go easy on English drink drivers in Scotland

Drink drivers from England could avoid an automatic ban if they commit an offence in Scotland under a proposal put forward by a Highland Liberal Democrat MP. Lord John Thurso’s plan would let Scottish courts go easier on offenders from south of the Border if, as expected, Scotland adopts a lower drink-drive limit than England.

The proposal is aimed at drivers who start a journey with a legal amount of alcohol in their blood in England, but would be over the limit once in Scotland. Thurso said that instead of imposing automatic bans on these drivers, the Scottish courts should be able to take into account where the person lived and the place of the offence, and impose penalty points or a fine instead.



His proposal would also allow Scots courts to impose lower sentences on English drivers speeding in Scotland, if Holyrood cut the Scottish speed limit. The SNP accused the LibDems of creating a loophole for English drunks and undermine the whole point of a lower drink-drive limit for Scotland.

The issue is a live one because the Scotland Bill currently passing through Westminster will give Scottish ministers the power to set a lower drink-drive and speeding limit than in England. Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill has already said he wants the UK drink-drive limit cut from 80mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood to 50mg in Scotland, in line with most other European countries. Drink driving and severe speeding offences normally result in automatic disqualification for at least 12 months.