Diana Johnson MP, Labour’s Shadow Crime and Security Minister, responding to the Government reannouncing its decision to introduce a ban on below-cost sales of alcohol, said:

 "Another day, another announcement without substance on alcohol policy from the Tory-led Government. This time it’s a policy that’s been announced twice before.

 "Banning below-cost sales was announced when the Government first took office. It was then announced again when the Government U-turned on introducing Minimum Unit Pricing. Now, three years later, we are hearing this for the third time.

 "No amount of relaunching and reheating will fool anyone that Ministers are serious about its alcohol strategy. The Government think this will increase the price of 1.3 per cent of drinks sold, while the Institute for Fiscal Studies thinks this figure will be just 0.02 per cent of cider. Nobody thinks it’s going to have a real impact on our high streets or A&E departments on a Saturday night.

 "This is the Home Secretary who U-turned on minimum-unit pricing and multi-buy promotions, who promised licensing reforms that never materialised and who introduced a Late Night Levy which raised no money in its first year. Theresa May needs to do better.“