David Cameron says 'this Tory is not a nanny' when questioned about alcohol rules on the Andrew Marr show

The Prime Minister was discussing new alcohol regulations on the political show

David Cameron said the recommendations were decided independently and the Tories were not building a nanny state (BBC)

David Cameron has been ridiculed after declaring “this Tory is not a nanny” when asked about new alcohol guidelines.

The Prime Minister was being interviewed on the Andrew Marr Show on when he was asked whether the Tory government was becoming more of a “nanny state” following the new rules.

The new recommendations published by the chief medical officer have reduced the recommended weekly alcohol limit to 14 units for both men and women.

The report also warned pregnant women to avoid drinking altogether and said drinking more than one glass of wine or pint of beer a day will increase your cancer risk.

Mr Marr asked Mr Cameron about the changes coming into effect during a Conservative government - the party have traditionally believed in a smaller state - and joked he “always suspected nanny was a Tory”.

In response, Mr Cameron laughed and said: “Well, this Tory is not a nanny”.

The comment was ridiculed by users of the social media site:

Others also commented that the joke may have been a sly dig at Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt who has been accused of creating a nanny state in the past.

Speaking about the rules, he said they were decided by the chief medical officer and the Government had no input.

He said: “The Government doesn’t get consulted on whether it should be 14 units of 25 units. Its important for these things to be independent."