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Would-be PM Hunt backs daily’s plan for patch drug death summit

Would-be Prime Minister Jeremy Hunt has backed a daily newspaper’s bid for Westminster and Holyrood political leaders to hold a summit on its patch after “shameful” drug death figures were released.

The Tory leadership candidate has confirmed his support for the Glasgow Evening Times campaign, which comes after it was revealed this week that drug-related fatalities in the city had increased by 45pc to 280 last year.

The Evening Times called on the UK government, Scottish government and Glasgow City Council to get together and hold a summit where they could hear first hand both from those affected and from service providers working on the front line, splashing on its campaign yesterday.

Mr Hunt responded to say he was supportive of the idea, and the newspaper has also contacted his leadership rival Boris Johnson, as well as Home Secretary Sajid Javid, about the matter.

Glasgow drug death

Evening Times political correspondent Stewart Paterson, who is driving the campaign, told HTFP: “The Evening Times has been running stories on the city’s drug problem for as long as it has existed. The drug death figures are as shameful as they are shocking and are an illustration that the efforts to tackle drug addiction have failed.

“We have asked the two men who could be the next Prime Minister and the Home Secretary to attend because it needs a concerted effort from Westminster, Holyrood and local government.

“UK drug laws need revised as well as health and social care practices at a Scottish and city level. The UK Government needs to witness the problem where it is at its worst and sadly that is in Glasgow.

“Jeremy Hunt said he is supportive. If he becomes Prime Minister we will seek to hold him to that. We need Boris Johnson and Sajid Javid, the Home Secretary to commit also.”

Other Scottish dailies have also covered the issue on their front pages in recent weeks.

The Daily Record is campaigning for the decriminalisation of drug use, while a Dundee Evening Telegraph splash last month featured a skull made of drugs to highlight its patch’s death rate.