The Conservatives have launched their 2010 election manifesto, sticking to previously announced measures proposed to crack down on the causes of anti-social drinking including cheap, strong drinks. The manifesto states:
"Under Labour’s lax licensing regime, drink-fuelled violence and disorder are a blight on many communities. We will overhaul the Licensing Act to give local authorities and the police much stronger powers to remove licences from, or refuse to grant licences to, any premises that are causing problems. In addition, we will:- allow councils and the police to shut down permanently any shop or bar found persistently selling alcohol to children;
- double the maximum fine for under-age alcohol sales to £20,000;
- raise taxes on those drinks linked to antisocial drinking, while abolishing Labour’s new ‘cider tax’ on ordinary drinkers;
- ban off-licences and supermarkets from selling alcohol below cost price; and,
- permit local councils to charge more for latenight licences to pay for additional policing. . . . . .
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