Booze costs will not be hiked by Labour, Sir Keir Starmer vows
BOOZE costs will not be hiked by a Labour government, Sir Keir Starmer vowed today.
He ruled out implementing minimum alcohol pricing that would see punters pay more for drinks.
In Labour-run Wales and SNP-led Scotland every unit of booze must be sold for at least 50p.
The devolved policy was introduced to tackle problem drinkers by cracking down on low cost, high strength alcohol.
But this morning Sir Keir insisted he would not follow suit in England if he was elected PM next year.
He told LBC: “We don't want things to cost more for people in the middle of a cost of living crisis.”
Only yesterday his shadow health secretary Wes Streeting had left the door open to enforcing the nanny-state policy.
Further splits opened up as Sir Keir also slapped down Mr Streeting agitating for a fresh sugar tax.
The Labour boss said he will not “make food more expensive in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis.
"We’ll focus on advertising rather than increasing the cost to food."
But he did not rule out a fresh levy on unhealthy snacks once prices stabilise.
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Sir Keir also vowed to pour more money into the NHS - which he claimed was on its last legs under the Tories.
During a press conference in Essex, he claimed "money is important but it's not all about money" and said he would focus on harnessing the power of technology and science to make the health service more effective.
Sir Keir said it was "just wrong" to suggest Labour has failed to explain how it will pay for its reforms, pointing to his pledge to train more doctors which would be funded by abolishing the so-called "non-dom" tax status.