'We will not punish those who drink responsibly'

13th April 2009, 12:30pm

Gordon Brown has repeated his claim that the government will not punish those who drink responsibly.

The Prime Minister's comments were in response to a Harpers Wine & Spirit petition which was taken to Downing Street back in January. The magazine urged the government to look at the facts and figures surrounding alcohol use and recognise those who drink responsibly. 

In a statement published on Harpers Wine & Spirit's website, the Prime Minister's office said that blanket legislation is not the answer: "Drinking alcohol is a long-standing part of British culture and ultimately it is down to individual choice whether people drink and how much they drink." 

The statement went on to say that the government understands its responsibility to combat binge drinking, under-age drinking and long-term excessive drinking. 

"However, we want to tackle these problems in a way that does not unfairly punish the majority who drink responsibly. Instead, we will target those individuals who drink irresponsibly and cause harm to others, those specific localities where alcohol causes particular problems, and those businesses that are selling alcohol irresponsibly," said the Prime Minister's office. 

But only less than a month ago the Prime Minister was branded a hypocrite by the pub trade after he said that he does not wish to penalise the "sensible majority of moderate drinkers". 

CAMRA chief executive, Mike Benner said: "It is hypocritical of the Prime Minister to suggest he is a friend of responsible drinkers when it is his Government who hit beer drinkers with staggering 18% increase in beer duty last year.

"If the Prime Minister genuinely wishes to avoid penalizing the majority of moderate drinkers then he must abandon plans for annual above inflation increases in the tax on beer and endorse action to prevent the major supermarkets undermining pubs by selling alcohol at a loss."

Related Articles:

• 23 Jul 2009 - CAMRA declares National Pub Design Awards open
• 06 May 2009 - Women are binge drinking more
• 17 Apr 2009 - Are you aware of alcohol calories?
• 08 Apr 2009 - Tax rises will result in pub job losses
• 31 Mar 2009 - Sun advert launches 'Text the Chancellor' campaign
• 16 Mar 2009 - Prime Minister rejection of minimum alcohol pricing is 'hypocritical'
• 13 Mar 2009 - Taxation on pubs has gone too far, says Wetherspoon
• 12 Mar 2009 - 30,000 people support local pubs
• 04 Mar 2009 - Record number of pubs closing
• 02 Mar 2009 - New poll shows public are backing local pubs

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