Ministers have ruled out banning ‘buy one get one free’ alcohol deals in supermarkets which have been blamed for violent crime and ill health.
In a blow to police chiefs and health campaigners, the Government rejected calls to outlaw multi-buy offers on beer, wine, cider and spirits in a bid to reduce excessive drinking.
A damning House of Lords committee had demanded action after warning that alcohol bought from off-licences and then consumed at home was fuelling domestic abuse and crime and disorder in towns and cities.
A report, published earlier this year, said ministers should mirror laws in Scotland that banned so-called ‘BOGOF’ promotions to reduce the harm caused binge drinking.
Ministers have ruled out banning ‘buy one get one free’ alcohol deals in supermarkets which have been blamed for violent crime and ill health
The aim would be to cut any incentive for customers to save money by buying excessive amounts of alcohol.
But in a response slipped out last week the Government said it ‘does not intend’ to change legislation in an attempt to tackle booze-fuelled mayhem.
The decision dismayed peers and health experts who warned cheap booze offers were adding to disorder.
Richard Piper, chief executive at the charity Alcohol Research UK, said: ‘Whether we like it or not, the UK has a problem with alcohol. Alcohol is the biggest cause of death, ill health and disability for people aged 15-49, and the fifth biggest for all ages.
‘We know that people are sensitive to price when it comes to how much they drink; this ban on BOGOF deals might have gone some way towards encouraging people to drink less.’
Former Tory minister Baroness McIntosh, chairman of the Lords’ Licensing Act committee, said: ‘I’m disappointed that the Government has not taken the step of banning in-your-face, off-the-shelf drink promotions.
In a blow to police chiefs and health campaigners, the Government rejected calls to outlaw multi-buy offers on beer, wine, cider and spirits
‘We heard evidence that promotions such as ‘buy one get one free’ alcohol deals were encouraging irresponsible drinking.
‘People are buying cheap alcohol at supermarkets and off-licences, tanking up at home and then going out which is adding to anti-social behaviour, crime and the resultant burden on public services.’
The committee published a report in April after looking into the extent of the misery inflicted by Tony Blair’s 24-hour drinking laws.
The cross-party panel said it ‘strongly believed’ the Government should replicate laws introduced in Scotland in 2011 that barred retailers from ‘BOGOF’ promotions. Measures should be brought in at the ‘first available opportunity’, they said.
The 186-page report by the Lords’ Licensing Act committee, published in April, said: ‘Lower overheads, and the volumes that they sell, mean that supermarkets can sell high strength alcohol at very low prices, and this is seen as one of the causes of the worst anti-social behaviour and disorder.
‘Scotland has introduced a range of more sophisticated measures aimed at how the off-trade sells alcohol, and we believe these should be followed in England and Wales.’
But the Home Office said the changes had only a ‘limited impact’ on the amount of alcohol sold by supermarkets and other off-licences.
The aim would be to cut any incentive for customers to save money by buying excessive amounts of alcohol
It said: ‘Research showed that following the ban on multi-buy promotions, households bought alcohol on more occasions but bought fewer products per shopping trip.’
Ministers added that a review by Public Health England ‘also concluded that bans on price promotions are not as effective and are easily circumvented’.
Labour talked of bringing in a Continental-style cafe culture when it introduced round-the-clock opening in 2005 despite opposition from police, judges, ambulance staff and GPs, as well as a Daily Mail campaign.
In the past 20 years, the amount of alcohol sold through off-licences and supermarkets – what is known as the ‘off-trade’ – has soared from 42 per cent to 70 per cent.
Police have warned alcohol bought in shops was falling into the hands of the young, who used it to ‘preload’, before going drunk to town centres – also putting extra demand on officers.
But opponents warned that a crackdown would lead to sharp increases in the weekly shopping bill of hard-working families who drink in an entirely responsible manner.
The committee published a report in April after looking into the extent of the misery inflicted by Tony Blair’s 24-hour drinking laws
Ministers pledged to ‘keep under review’ the possibility of introducing minimum pricing regime. First Minister Nicola Sturgeon wants to fix a minimum price per unit of alcohol of 50pm but she waiting for a Supreme Court ruling on Wednesday (Nov15).
David Cameron wanted to bring in the system as Prime Minister but he dumped the proposal after strong opposition from within the Cabinet, as ministers warned it could unfairly hit responsible drinkers on lower incomes, and a lobbying campaign by drinks companies.
Instead, the Government introduced a new system in 2014 which works by banning shops and pubs from selling alcohol at less than the total cost of the duty payable to the Treasury, plus VAT.
A Home Office spokesman said: ‘There is no conclusive evidence that banning multi-buy promotions in off-licences would reduce harmful consumption.’