John Swinney is facing fresh pressure to abandon his planned cap on the price of basic supermarket goods, after 23 industry bodies representing more than 300,000 workers warned it would harm consumers and producers alike. The coalition, coordinated by the Scottish Retail Consortium and spanning salmon producers, bakers, farmers, drinks makers and grocers, called the proposal "unnecessary, ineffective, and likely to deliver significant adverse consequences." Despite the intervention, the Scottish Government confirmed it is pushing ahead with a public consultation, with further details expected when the First Minister sets out his programme for government at Holyrood.

The plan, the SNP's highest-profile manifesto pledge for this year's Holyrood election, would impose mandatory price ceilings on 20 to 50 essential items such as chicken, bread, cheese and eggs, though full details have yet to be published. The joint letter, signed by figures including David Lonsdale of the Scottish Retail Consortium and Tavish Scott of Scottish Salmon, argues a statutory cap would raise rather than lower household costs and fails to address the real drivers of food inflation, such as production, energy and distribution costs. Industry sources said they had not heard a single representative of Scotland's food and drink sector speak favourably about the proposal.