Boots apologises after Labour MPs write to express 'deep concern' over its refusal to reduce emergency contraception cost

Boots has apologised for the language it used after Labour MPs wrote an open letter to its chief pharmacist to express “deep concern” about the company’s refusal to reduce the cost of emergency contraception amid calls for a boycott.

Jess Phillips said the firm was "infantilising women" as the Women's Parliamentary Labour Party backed a campaign by the British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS),  a leading provider of abortion care.

Tesco and Superdrug have already agreed to halve the price of the morning-after pill as a result of the BPAS campaign but Boots has so far resisted the calls.

On Thursday, Boots said it would not lower the cost of its product, saying that the high street chemist did not want to be accused of “incentivising inappropriate use”.

But on Friday evening a statement from the company said it "apologised" for its "poor choice of words".

The pharmacy chain charges £26.75 for a generic version of the pill, double the charge levied by both Tesco and Superdrug.

Campaigning charity BPAS has been pressuring shops to reduce the price of the pill, which is available for as little as £5.50 in France. 

In a letter to Boots' chief pharmacist Marc Donovan, Clare Murphy, the director of external affairs at BPAS, said: "Generic versions of Levonelle can now be bought by pharmacies for as little as £1.50, but these savings are not being passed onto women" and asked Boots if it would reduce its prices. 

But in his reply Mr Donovan said making the pill cheaper could lead to the company being "accused of incentivising inappropriate use". 

"We receive frequent contact from individuals who voice their disapproval that the company chooses to provide this service," he said.

In a statement Mr Donovan added: "The NHS commission a free local EHC service which we offer in the vast majority of our pharmacies to eligible women following consultation.  We also stock three Emergency Hormonal Contraceptive medicines (EHC) which are available following a conversation with a pharmacist.

Campaigners have criticised the statement as insulting and sexist, and yesterday Conservative MP Anna Soubry, whose constituency is where the Boots headquarters is located, said she would also be seeking explanations from the company on its reasons for not reducing prices.

The Labour letter, signed by Ms Phillips, chair of the women’s PLP, as well as prominent MPs including Harriet Harman, Yvette Cooper and Rachel Reeves, said: “Boots is the largest high-street pharmacy in the UK, and 90% of the population lives within 10 minutes of one of their shops.

“It is therefore completely unacceptable that British women have been paying up to £30 for a pill that costs a fraction of that to produce. The high cost of emergency contraception at Boots is preventing women from accessing it when needed.”

A spokesman for Boots said: "Pharmacy and care for customers are at the heart of everything we do and as such we are truly sorry that our poor choice of words in describing our position on emergency hormonal contraception has caused offence and misunderstanding, and we sincerely apologise."