Ministers look set to have the cautious backing of Quaker campaigners if they go ahead with plans to crack down on cheap alcohol. But Friends have also warned that the changes may not go far enough.
As part of their coalition agreement, the Liberal Democrats and Conservative Party have agreed to ban the sale of alcohol below ‘cost price’ – the sum the retailer has already paid for it. The police have blamed cheap alcohol for encouraging binge drinking.
The proposal could lead to an end to ‘happy hours’ in pubs and ‘three-for-two’ offers in supermarkets.

Andrew Opie of the British Retail Consortium, whose members include businesses involved in the alcohol trade, said that ‘cost price’ would be difficult for the law to define. He added: ‘Irresponsible alcohol consumption is not about price. It’s a cultural issue.’

But Helena Chambers of Quaker Action on Alcohol and Drugs (QAAD) linked price with culture, suggesting that good legislation on pricing could ‘send out the right health message’. She described a ban on below-cost sales as ‘certainly a step in the right direction’, but urged ministers to go further and introduce minimum pricing on alcohol. She insisted that this would have ‘a more consistent effect’.

The government has also promised a review of alcohol taxation. QAAD say that they will be watching out for progress.