DRINK-DRIVING: Drivers over the legal limit should be jailed for a minimum of three years for hitting a person with their vehicle, Usdaw delegates have said.

Horrific stories of friends and relatives injured by drink-drivers were heard in a debate at the union’s annual conference today.

Causing serious injury by careless driving while under the influence of alcohol can be dealt with community orders, sentencing guidelines for England and Wales say.

SUPERMARKETS: Food price caps to help vulnerable families have been backed by delegates after its annual conference heard how they are implemented across Europe.

A motion was passed calling on the union’s executive to lobby the government of the day on the move.

“This would ensure that families can provide basic meals even when other food prices increase,” it stated.

FEES: Delegates voted through a 3.6 per cent increase to union membership costs at its annual conference in Blackpool today.

General secretary Paddy Lillis said global conflicts had affected retail supply chains and had contributed to the closure of more than 10,000 shops and 120,000 job losses over the past year.

The union’s membership had fallen from 433,000 in 2017 to 360,000 in 2023 as a result, though it returned to growth last year, with 91,000 new members.