Shops Slam Plan To Put Minimum Price On Alcohol

Plans to introduce minimum prices for alcoholic drinks to curb binge drinking and save millions of pounds have been described as "misguided" by retail groups.

The proposals will see a minumum price for drinks set at 40p a unit , leaving drinkers between £5 and £135 worse off every year, according to Government figures.

Critics say the move will hit poor consumers hardest and have little effect on problem drinking.

But ministers and some alcohol charities have welcomed the strategy and believe that thousands of people could be helped.

David Cameron is leading action on drink-fuelled violence and binge drinking as part of a new 'Alcohol Strategy'.

He says alcohol abuse costs the country £21bn a year.

Last year alone there were almost one million alcohol-related crimes recorded, and 1.2m alcohol-related hospital admissions.

As well as a minimum unit price, the government is banning the sale of multi-buy discount deals, increasing powers to stop the selling of alcohol to anyone who is drunk, introducing 'zero tolerance' of drunken behaviour in hospital Accident & Emergency departments, and bringing in a late-night levy so that pubs and clubs have to help pay for policing.

There are also calls for restrictions on advertising alcohol.

The Government hopes minimum pricing will spell the end of cheap ciders, spirits and super-strength lagers.

Mr Cameron said: "Binge drinking isn't some fringe issue, it accounts for half of all alcohol consumed in this country.

"The crime and violence it causes drains resources in our hospitals, generates mayhem on our streets and spreads fear in our communities.

"My message is simple. We can't go on like this. We have to tackle the scourge of violence caused by binge drinking. And we have to do it now."

He said the Government would tackle the issue "from every angle", adding that there would be a "real effort to get to grips with the root cause" of the problem, and "that means coming down hard on cheap alcohol".

Home Secretary Theresa May added that responsible drinkers had "nothing to fear" from the policy, which she said would only deal with the cheapest fifth of alcohol.

"What we do want to do is to affect the cheapest end of alcohol where those
sorts of offers enable people to really do this pre-loading."

The move was met with opposition from the drinks industry, with some accusing Mr Cameron of being "seriously misguided".

Retailers and drinks firms said the policy was at odds with the "responsibility deal" between alcohol companies and the Government, overseen by Health Secretary Andrew Lansley.

He is known to be against tighter regulation of the sector and has previously described minimum pricing as an "absurd" tool for tackling drink abuse.

The British Retail Consortium's food director, Andrew Opie, said minimum pricing was effectively a "tax on responsible drinkers".

He added: "David Cameron is seriously misguided. It's simplistic to imagine a minimum price is some sort of silver bullet solution to irresponsible drinking."

Andrew Cowan, country director of Diageo GB, whose brands include Smirnoff, Baileys and Guinness, said the move went against the government's responsibility deal.

"Diageo has consistently supported this Government and its predecessors to tackle alcohol misuse and believes measures such as stricter law enforcement in addressing drunk and disorderly behaviour will work," he said.

"However, the intended introduction of pricing intervention is misguided and appears to run counter to the responsibility deal set out by this Government."

He said the move would hit consumers hard, particularly those on low incomes.

Henry Ashworth, chief executive of the Portman Group, which represents drinks producers, said: "For this strategy to be successful it must not penalise the vast majority who drink responsibly, or unfairly burden businesses that are helping Government tackle alcohol misuse through the responsibility deal partnership."

However, Eric Appleby, chief executive of Alcohol Concern , said: "This is a victory for common sense.

"We cannot carry on with a situation where it's cheaper to buy a can of lager than a can of Coke."

"We fully support the Government in taking action to clamp down on booze at pocket money prices and protect the health of our children and young people.

"All the research shows there is a link between price and consumption and we know that lives can be saved if a minimum price is introduced."

Professor Sir Ian Gilmore, of the Royal College of Physicians and the Alcohol Health Alliance, added: "Healthcare workers who struggle every day to cope with the impact of our nation's unhealthy drinking will welcome tough new policies in areas such as price and licensing that are based on evidence and should bring about real benefits."

Chief Constable Jon Stoddart, the Association of Chief Police Officers' lead on alcohol, said: "Week in, week out in town centres across the country the police have to deal with the consequences of cheap alcohol and irresponsible drinking.

"I welcome the Government's new approach that will help reduce the availability of cheap alcohol, give communities a greater say over licensing in their area and reduce pressure on the police."