MPs prepared to act on cheap supermarket booze

The Government is considering a ban on cheap supermarket booze, according to the Daily Mail​.

The paper reports that the joint Home Office and Department of Health investigation into price, promotion and harm - announced last year as part of the National Alcohol Strategy - will recommend a ban on using booze as a loss-leader.

However, the report is not due until April at the earliest with July a more realistic date.

And the Mail​ suggests that the Government may be willing to regulate after the supermarkets ignored a series of warnings.

Health minister Ben Bradshaw has already said the Government is "prepared to change the law"​ regarding below cost selling of alcohol during a Westminster debate in December.

He said: "We do have concerns about the pricing of shops and supermarkets and deep discounting, often as loss leaders selling below cost.​

"Depending on the review findings, expected next summer, we are prepared to change the law."

During the debate, Beer Party chairman John Grogan dubbed Tesco boss Terry Leahy "the godfather of binge drinking"​.

On-trade hopes​

The Association of Licensed Multiple Retailers has been leading the fight for the on-trade against deep discounting.

The trade body met with MPs, including licesning minister Gerry Sutcliffe, two weeks ago in a bid to urge action against irresponsible off-trade deals.

In September last year, the Competition Commission cleared supermarkets of any wrong-doing in selling alcohol below cost.

All on-trade hopes now seemingly rest with the report into pricing and promotion but the Government is coming under increasing pressure from the new Alcohol Health Alliance to increase tax on alcohol by at least 10% across the board.

Such a move would hit pubs, where drinking is supervised, far harder than supermarkets.