Prime Minister's ban on cheap drinks breaks EU law, claim alcohol companies

David Cameron’s assault on cheap alcohol descended into a fiasco last night within hours of its launch. Drinks firms threatened legal action over the Prime Minister’s controversial plans to tackle the scourge of binge-drinking by imposing a minimum price of about 40p per unit on alcoholic drinks. They claim the proposal is illegal under EU competition law. Some ministers are also understood to fear that the strategy could fall foul of the courts. Public health minister Anne Milton recently told MPs that minimum pricing was ‘illegal’ while Dominic Grieve, the Attorney General, is also believed to have warned Cabinet colleagues that it may breach European rules.