Boots has said it is 'truly sorry' for refusing to cut the price of the morning-after pill in case it 'incentivises inappropriate use'.

Britain's leading high-street chemist last night faced furor from Labour MPs who demanded it follow Tesco and Superdrug by halving the price of the contraceptive.

Campaigners urged women to boycott the store, calling its principles 'outdated, puritanical, and sexist' after it said why it wanted to keep the the price at £28.25.

But Boots has now apologised and said it is looking for cheaper alternatives.

Stella Creasy MP (left) urged a boycott and Jess Phillips (right) said: 'It's totally unacceptable and also totally commercial'

A spokesman for Boots said: 'Pharmacy and care for customers are at the heart of everything we do and as such we are truly sorry that our poor choice of words in describing our position on emergency hormonal contraception (EHC) has caused offence and misunderstanding, and we sincerely apologise.'

The row came after the British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS) had urged chemists to cut the cost amid claims that British women are forced to pay up to five times more than those in Europe for the contraceptive.

Tesco and Superdrug agreed to reduce the price but Boots said it did not want to encourage over-use.

The stance angered 35 female Labour MPs who wrote to Boots to demand a change of course, calling the pill vital 'back-up contraception'.

Yesterday, two of them urged women to 'vote with their feet'. Walthamstow MP Stella Creasy said: 'I am a strong believer in consumer activism and people voting not just at the ballot box but with their shopping baskets.'

The 35 Labour MPs, including former leader Harriet Harman and ex-shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper, wrote to Boots, saying: 'It is completely unacceptable that British women have been paying up to £30 for a pill which costs a fraction of that to produce.

Campaigners from the British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS) had urged the chemist to cut the cost of the morning-after pill (stock photo)

'The justification given by Boots was that it did not want to face complaints or to incentivise the use of emergency contraceptive. This infantilises women.' The MPs said the price cut was 'supported by the majority of the public'.

Jess Phillips, MP for Birmingham Yardley, said: 'It's totally unacceptable and also totally commercial. They're willing to take a moral stance if it pays them… I agree that we should boycott it.'

Miss Cooper told Boots on Twitter: 'This is patronising and pathetic – keeping emergency contraception price too high cos you don't trust women and are scared of critics.'

Boots charges for Levonelle emergency contraceptive and £26.75 for a generic version.

Boots charges £28.25 for Levonelle emergency contraceptive and £26.75 for a generic version

Tesco has slashed its prices to £13.50 for Levonelle while at Superdrug an own-brand pill is £13.49 - and in France it costs just £5.50.

In a letter seen by the Guardian, Boots chief pharmacist Marc Donovan explained that it had carefully considered the issue and that the pill was already available free on the NHS.

But in a statement that has sparked outrage, he added at the end: 'In our experience the subject of emergency hormonal contraception polarises public opinion and we receive frequent contact from individuals who voice their disapproval of the fact that the company chooses to provide this service.

'We would not want to be accused of incentivising inappropriate use, and provoking complaints, by significantly reducing the price of this product.'

Now thousands of customers have threatened to boycott the store over the letter with the statement branded 'patronising' and 'misogynistic'.

Rachel Bilski wrote on Twitter: 'Not all women can access the lower-cost services, for some Boots is it.

'No one should suffer due to outdated, puritanical, sexist opinions.'

In a letter seen by the Guardian, Boots chief pharmacist Marc Donovan explained that it had carefully considered the issue and that the pill was already available free on the NHS

Meg Evans added: 'This is just straight up misogyny. If Boots actually cared about women's health it would lower cost and make more accessible, not less.'

BPAS said that setting the price high was 'patronising' and wrote back to ask Boots to reconsider its position.

But the retailer wrote back and said 'they weren't changing their minds and the letter still stood', according to the campaign group's director of external affairs Clare Murphy.

The original Emergency Hormonal Contraception pill, called PC4 and known as the 'morning after pill', was developed in 1985.

The morning-after pill, which must be used within 72 hours of unprotected sex, prevents pregnancy by suppressing ovulation and stopping the fertilisation of any egg released from the ovaries.

Boots said in a statement that it was 'disappointed' with the BPAS campaign and added that it offers customers a consultation service as part of the fee.

Thousands of customers have threatened to boycott the store over the letter with the statement branded 'patronising' and 'misogynistic'

Meg Evans wrote on Twitter: 'This is just straight up misogyny. If Boots actually cared about women's health it would lower cost and make more accessible, not less'

The retailer told MailOnline: 'As the UK's leading pharmacy-led health and beauty retailer, we are regularly contacted by groups with varying views on this topic, our priority is the health and wellbeing of our customers and patients.

'We were recently contacted by the British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS) and sent a full and detailed response outlining our views that this is a professional healthcare service which, we believe, requires a professional healthcare consultation.

'This consultation helps support customers in their choice by examining an individual's full medical history and any potential drug interactions.

'The consultation also helps the pharmacist offer important sexual healthcare advice to women and helps us prevent emergency contraception from being misused or overused.

'The NHS commission a free local EHC service which we offer in the vast majority of our pharmacies to eligible women following consultation.

'We also stock three Emergency Hormonal Contraceptive medicines (EHC) which are available following a conversation with a pharmacist.

'We are extremely disappointed by the focus BPAS have taken in this instance.'