UK ban on cheap beer?

The Publican reports Prime Minister Gordon Brown may intervene to stop cheap supermarket deals on alcohol.

The issue has apparently hit home with Mr Brown, after Labour MP John Grogan was called by a senior adviser at 10 Downing Street to discuss his recent criticism of the retail giants.

Grogan had branded Tesco chief executive Terry Leahy “the godfather of British binge-drinking” during a Commons debate, and was asked by the adviser what he would like to see done to stop the deals.

Tesco hit back at Grogan’s comments, branding them “as offensive as they are inaccurate.”

Health minister Ben Bradshaw recently told the Commons the government would be “prepared to change the law” on below-cost selling depending on the findings of an independent review, due to report in April.