Retail chief: 'Supermarkets more responsible than pubs'
A minimum price for alcohol would unfairly punish the majority of responsible drinkers, according to the British Retail Consortium (BRC).
BRC director-general Stephen Robertson described supermarkets as "the most responsible sellers of alcohol" and added proposals outlined by politicians today to tackle alcohol related problems would make little impact.
He said: "Irresponsible drinking is not about price, it's a cultural issue, as many police officers recognise. The real point is that an alcohol price hike will simply not achieve the desired outcomes.
"If the government put, say, 20 per cent on the price of lager in supermarkets does the select Committee really think it would alleviate the problem?
"Minimum pricing would penalise the overwhelming majority of customers who buy alcohol in supermarkets as part of their regular weekly shop and take it home to drink perfectly responsibly over a period. It's amazing politicians think voters would thank them for using the law to push up their shopping bills.
"And let's face it sources of high priced alcohol such as pubs and clubs are often the sources of insobriety."
He said he would prefer to see partnership initiatives between police, retailers and councils - such as the Community Alcohol Partnership in St Neots, Cambridgeshire, to tackle alcohol-related disorder.
The Publican is campaigning for a minimum price of 50p for every unit of alcohol sold to stop irresponsible cut-price deals. To support the campaign click this link Sign our minimum pricing petition
More details of the Make it the Minimum campaign can be found by clicking here Make it the Minimum
