Jeremy Browne announced the government decision to shelve plans for a minimum price for a unit of alcohol in England and Wales.
Dr James Nicholls, Research Manager at Alcohol Research UK, said:
“The Prime Minister gave an unambiguous commitment to minimum unit pricing in his introduction to the 2012 Alcohol Strategy. His subsequent U-turn suggests the Government is unable, or unwilling, to stand up to lobbying from powerful business interests. The evidence on minimum unit pricing has not weakened – indeed it has become stronger since the Alcohol Strategy was released.
“With both MUP and the proposed multibuy ban now abandoned, and no mention of the proposed public health-based licensing objective, few substantial evidence-based proposals to limit alcohol-related harm remain from the original Strategy. The Strategy now looks increasingly hollow. If the Government wishes to tackle alcohol-related harm, it must be prepared to make difficult decisions based on the best evidence available.”
Dr John Holmes, a research fellow from the Sheffield Alcohol Research Group at the University of Sheffield, said:
“The proposed ban on below cost selling would only affect the prices of the very cheapest alcohol and, consequently, it would only have a very small impact on the problems caused by excessive alcohol consumption.
“Although this is a move towards tackling the problems associated with cheap alcohol, the Government’s previous policy of setting a 45p minimum unit price would be a much more effective approach.”