Ministers consider higher taxes to curb youth drinking problem

Celebrity booze culture came under fire from the Government yesterday as a Home Office minister gave the clearest signal yet that tax on alcohol will be raised to curb drinking problems among young people.

Hitting out at "drunken pop stars", the Home Office, Meg Hillier said: "It's not something that government or legislation or the police alone can solve; it's much more of an attitude in society. There are role models repeatedly featured in newspapers and the media for having nights out, pictures of drunken pop stars - I think those individuals need to recognise their fame comes on the back of people of all ages buying their products and they have a young fan base. It's not a very sensible approach."

Amy Winehouse was reported to have been on a three-day drink and drugs "bender" before being admitted to hospital last week, while Lily Allen once said that her teenage years were a blur because of alcohol.

Ms Hillier said reducing the availability of cheap alcohol was among the measures being reviewed by the Government, including asking retailers not to offer cheap drinks that will be bought by teenagers. The review is also looking at raising the duty on some alcoholic drinks which experts believe will hit young people harder because of their limited incomes. "I want to hear people's views about alcohol pricing. We will publish that review in 2008 and it may lead to some changes," she said.

The Wine & Spirit Trade Association (WTSA) said it was "too simplistic" to cite cheap alcohol as the cause of antisocial behaviour.

The debate was sparked by the killing of father-of-three Garry Newlove, who died of head injuries on Sunday after he confronted a gang outside his home last Friday. Three youths, two aged 15 and one aged 16, appeared in court charged with Mr Newlove's murder. A fourth, Adam William Swellings, 18, from Crewe, was also charged with his murder yesterday.

After the hearings, the chief constable of Cheshire, Peter Fahy, called for tougher measures to curb drinking among young people, which, he said, had fuelled the violence. He urged the Government to raise the drinking age to 21 and ban drinking in public places. Yesterday, Ms Hillier made it clear that the Government is unlikely to adopt those two proposals.

It has also raised renewed questions about the liberalisation of Britain's drinking laws under Tony Blair. As one of his first acts after becoming Prime Minister, Gordon Brown ordered a review of 24-hour drinking by the Home Office. A separate review led by the Department of Health is also looking into the relationship between price, promotion and harm caused by alcohol. A third Home Office review is looking at the effectiveness of the alcohol industry's Social Responsibility Standards in contributing to a reduction in alcohol harm.

Mr Fahy said: "Every night we are out there, we are seizing huge amounts of alcohol, pouring it down the drain, or sometimes if it's not opened giving it to charities to raffle. It's almost like a big recycling exercise, but it's a child protection issue. It's a tragedy the murder of Gary Newlove, but it's a tragedy we have four young people charged."

He said Asbos and other antisocial behaviour measures were working but it was also the way that alcohol was aggressively promoted. "We have this issue of it being cheaper and more available constantly working against us," he said. "I don't think it's an issue about the licensing hours. We are seeing better control of pubs, clubs and licensed premises. The problem is supermarkets, late-night shops and petrol stations." He said at the moment you could drink anywhere in public unless the council had designated otherwise. He said the emphasis should be reversed so that drinking was generally banned in public, unless it was specifically permitted.

Ms Hillier said she had no plans to introduce an overall ban on drinking in public, and raising the drinking age would not tackle those who broke the law at 18.

A Conservative spokesman, James Brokenshire, said highly-visible policing and far greater involvement of communities in deciding the operation of local licensing were the solution.

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