The government has refused to support plans to introduce a minimum price for alcohol units as part of new measures to help combat alcohol misuse in England, proposed by chief medical officer, Sir Liam Donaldson.

Speaking at a news conference on 16 March, Gordon Brown said that the government did not want to punish the "sensible majority" of people who drink in moderation. Brown said: "We do not want the responsible, sensible majority of moderate drinkers to have to pay more or suffer as a result of the excesses of a small minority. And that's the context in which we look at the problems that the chief medical officer has raised."

In his 2008 annual report, On the State of Public Health, Donaldson called for the introduction of a minimum price of 50p per unit of alcohol, as well as considering the public health implications of heavy drinking as part of licensing laws. At the launch of the report, Donaldson said: "England has a drink problem and the whole of society bears the burden. The passive effects of heavy drinking on innocent parties are easily underestimated and frequently ignored.

"Cheap alcohol is killing us as never before. The quality of life of families and in cities and towns up and down the country is being eroded by the effects of excessive drinking."