Local Euro MP gets policy change from Morrisons on buying booze

5.16.24pm BST (GMT +0100) Mon 8th Sep 2008

Local Liberal Democrat Euro MP, Diana Wallis, has got supermarket giant Morrisons to change its policy on accepting ID from other EU countries when it comes to buying alcohol in their stores.

Diana Wallis MEP took up the case following a series of complaints from EU nationals across the region who had been not allowed to buy alcohol in Morrisons' stores.

Diana Wallis said:

"I first got in touch with Morrisons following a recent incident when a 21 year old Slovakian student in Leeds had a problem in his local Morrisons store when they refused to allow him to buy alcohol. Morrisons has introduced a new policy whereby if you look under the age of 25 they will ask you for proof of age in an effort to combat under-age drinking. A policy, incidentally, I fully endorse.

"When challenged in the store, the Slovakian student provided the checkout operator, as well as the store deputy manager, with a valid EU format driving licence and a valid Slovakian National ID Card (both photographic). But he was still refused.

"The student contacted me and I wrote to Morrisons on the his behalf along the lines that despite the production of both a Slovakian Identity Card - a valid travel document for EU nationals wishing to come to the UK, and his EU format driving licence -the student was told that neither were valid as they were not issued in the UK. Now the interesting thing is that he only needed the ID card to allow him to enter the UK in the first place! There has been no need for him to carry a passport from 1st May 2004 when the Slovak Republic joined the EU.

"I wanted to make sure that Morrisons were not contravening the law by discriminating against EU nationals, who naturally do not have either a UK-issued driving licence or indeed a UK-issued passport and have a full right of free movement in the Uk as do we in their countries.

"I was delighted to receive a letter from Morrison this morning announcing a change of policy. In the letter they state: Following consultation with the DLA we have now amended our policy and are training all our store staff to accept valid identity documents from people from all EU member states. This includes driving licences in the format harmonised since 2006 featuring a photograph, EU symbol and date and birth of the holder."