New minimum price for alcohol

A minimum price per unit of alcohol will be introduced in England and Wales alongside plans to ban the sale of multi-buy discount deals, the Home Secretary has told the Commons.

The Government's Alcohol Strategy is intended to "turn the tide" against irresponsible drinking, which costs the UK an estimated £21billion a year.

The main elements of the Government strategy are:

• Plans for a minimum unit price, possibly 40p, stop multi-buy discount deals and introduces a "zero tolerance" approach to drunken behaviour in A&E departments.

• It also suggests a late-night levy to get pubs and clubs to help pay for policing and improved powers to stop serving alcohol to drunks.

• Under the plans, buy-one-get-one-free deals could be banned but half-price deals could stay.

The Government's figures of what the new rules will cost drinkers (based on independent research from Sheffield University):

• Moderate Drinkers (14 units a week): £6 a year

• Heavy Drinker (35 units): £39 a year

• Very Heavy Drinker (above 35 units): £135

The Home Secretary, Theresa May has said that moderate drinkers have 'nothing to fear' from the new rules:

Sam Bowman, Head of Research at the Adam Smith Institute believes a minimum price per unit for alcohol is not needed to tackle alcohol consumption in Britain:

Gavin Partington of the Wine and Spirit Trade Association has said that the unit pricing will not tackle 'problem drinkers.'

The Alcohol Strategy has its opponents, but the Government has moved to counter the critics with a series of "myth busters". Read them here.