Opposition MPs seize on MA Sutcliffe exclusive
Opposition MPs have seized on the MA's exclusive and controversial interview with Licensing Minister Gerry Sutcliffe to claim the Government is in disarray.
In the interview, Sutcliffe told MA editor Andrew Pring that the industry was right to be upset by the duty rises.
He said the Chancellor might re-think automatic duty rises in the next four Budgets if the industry mobilises and "gets its act together".
The interview has sparked a national media frenzy, which forced an embarrassing climbdown from Sutcliffe yesterday.
The minister did not deny making the comments but issued a statement saying: "My comments do not accurately reflect my views. I fully support the tax measures in the budget, and the chancellor's decisions on tax.
"Alcohol duty increases will go towards helping some of the poorest members of our society."
Disarray
Shadow Treasury Minister Justine Greening said: "The Morning Advertiser did a great job of bringing this story to national attention.
"One of the amazing things it reveals is that the Licensing Minister was not even consulted by Alistair Darling before he made his Budget announcement.
"That means Alistair Darling could not possibly have understood the impact of his decision on the pub trade.
"This is a Government which doesn't even consult its ministers, never mind the pub industry which provides so many jobs."
Liberal Democrat shadow Culture, Media and Sport Secretary, Don Foster said: "The Government's policy on tackling binge drinking is a shambles.
"It's hardly surprising that binge drinking is on the rise when the Government has no clear message on alcohol policy.
"While ministers bicker over the level of duty, alcohol related crime is on the increase, A&E admissions have soared, and people are continuing to get away with selling alcohol to children.
"The Government has clearly run out of ideas about how to tackle the drink problem in this country."
Read the MA's exclusive scoop here:
