This article is more than 8 years old

This article is more than 8 years old

David Cameron is said to have ordered officials to draw up plans for a minimum price for alcohol sales in England in an effort to stop cheap drink being sold in shops and supermarkets.

The prime minister is reportedly considering over-ruling cabinet colleagues who favour a voluntary approach to tackling the health threat caused by excessive drinking.

The government is looking at options including copying Scottish proposals – which would ban the sale of alcohol at below 45p a unit – or bringing in taxes based on the number of alcohol units in a drink, the Daily Telegraph reports.

Either scheme, involving setting a 40p to 50p minimum price per alcohol unit, could cost consumers £700m a year, with any additional tax revenue potentially going to the NHS. The government insists no decisions have been made.

The approach, which may be reflected in the government's alcohol strategy in February, seems certain to face legal challenges, with Scottish ministers already preparing for a fight in the courts. Both the health and business departments in Westminster are said to believe minimum pricing could breach European competition rules.

A Whitehall source told the Telegraph: "The prime minister has decided that, when it comes to alcohol, something pretty radical now has to be done and he is keen on the minimum price.

"It is complicated how this can be delivered, particularly under European law, but it is clear that the voluntary approach has not worked."

Earlier this month, medical leaders warned that "pocket money prices" for alcohol were endangering thousands of lives every year. In a letter to the Telegraph, leading doctors asserted that minimum pricing for alcohol would be a "simple and effective mechanism" for tackling the problem.

A government spokesman said: "The government will continue to review all available evidence. Our alcohol strategy, which we will set out shortly, will outline what further steps we are taking to tackle this problem. No decisions have been made."