The details have been unveiled in the Government's Alcohol Strategy: Choice, Challenge and Responsibility, released today.
The Government will consult on the minimum price - which it expects to be 40p per unit - during the Summer with a view to implementing legislation “as soon as possible”. However, details on how this will be drafted have yet to be unveiled.
Prime Minister David Cameron claimed that binge-drinking is not “some fringe issue” and said the Government must “tackle the scourge of violence caused by binge-drinking”.
In a statement from No 10 the PM confirmed that the Government would also look to ban multi-buy promotions, improve powers to stop serving alcohol to drunks as well as action against problem premises.
Cameron said: “When beer is cheaper than water, it’s just too easy for people to get drunk on cheap alcohol at home before they even set foot in the pub.
“So we are going to introduce a new minimum unit price - so for the first time it will be illegal for shops to sell alcohol for less than this set price per unit. We’re consulting on the actual price, but if it is 40p that could mean 50,000 fewer crimes each year and 900 fewer alcohol related deaths per year by the end of the decade.
“This isn’t about stopping responsible drinking, adding burdens on business or some new kind of stealth tax - it's about fast immediate action where universal change is needed.
“And let’s be clear. This will not hurt pubs. A pint is two units. If the minimum price is 40p a unit, it won’t affect the price of a pint. In fact, pubs may benefit by making the cheap alternatives in supermarkets more expensive.”
Brigid Simmonds, chief executive of the British Beer & Pub Association, said: “It’s good to see the Government stating explicitly that it wants to support local pubs. In recent years, we have seen alcohol policy aimed squarely at pubs, when more and more drinking is done at home. Government policies should be designed to encourage responsible drinking of low-strength drinks like beer, in the sociable environment of our pubs.
“On Minimum pricing, we will participate in the consultation, but alcohol consumption has fallen by 13 per cent since 2004 and the numbers who are drinking above the recommended weekly units have fallen by one third. It is vital that it is not pursued through, or result in, higher beer taxation overall so we welcome the announcement to that effect. There are also difficulties over whether it would be in breach of European competition law."