Cameron 'Backing Alcohol Minimum Price'

[aleister crowley]

The Prime Minister is said to be backing plans for minimum pricing for alcohol.


David Cameron will override his Cabinet who fear it breaches European rules, it is reported.
Minimum pricing has the biggest impact on the cheapest and strongest drinks and earlier this month a group of leading academics and health experts claimed the move would save thousands of lives.
Proposals for a charge per unit of between 40p and 50p would raise ?700m a year, which could go to the NHS, the Daily Telegraph says.

Scotland's administration is pushing through legislation for a minimum unit price, though health secretary Nicola Sturgeon admits it is "almost certain" to meet a legal challenge.
Westminster Health Secretary Andrew Lansley has previously warned that such a move would not meet European competition rules. That viewed has been echoed by the Business department.
But a Whitehall source told the newspaper: "The Prime Minister has decided that when it comes to alcohol, something pretty radical now has to be done and he is keen on the minimum price.
"It is complicated how this can be delivered, particularly under European law, but it is clear that the voluntary approach has not worked."
A Number 10 spokeswoman said the Government's alcohol strategy would be unveiled soon and no decisions had been made.


Alcohol Minimum Pricing: Prime Minister David Cameron Backs Proposals And Sweep Aside Legal Fears | Politics | Sky News


After absolutely bumming us on the price of cigs in the last budget (which were already ridiculously high) the government are now turning to their attention to the price of booze. In other words another great big fcking tax hike.

Do they not realise that to the average working man, after paying for everything else he has just enough money left in his wage to sit down at home in front of the box, watch some utter tat on TV while having a few tinnies and sparking up.

Anyone who starts to whinge about the cost to the NHS, you can fck right off. If they banned smoking and drinking, there wouldn't be a damned NHS.


~~~~in shthouses!!!

[GastonJ]

Aye they'll tax anything that there is a demand for, that they know people will not stop doing or wanting. Next comes the tax on having sex..... has to be bad for you as most MP's parents only do it once and find they don't like the results

[Meat-Head]

whoa hang one - thats where you end up with lots of ill Polish people buying dodgy vodka made up out of turps and stuff - was on the radio