Home Secretary Theresa May appears to have scored a victory by leading a cabinet revolt against minimum alcohol prices.
The government has been consulting on a price of 45p per unit, and the proposal appeared to have the support of David Cameron.
The government has argued that introducing a minimum unit price would help reduce the levels of ill-health and crime related to alcohol and prevent practices such as "pre-loading", where people binge-drink before going out.
May, the former health secretary Andrew Lansley, and the education secretary, Michael Gove, have all opposed the proposals on grounds that the impact on living standards would be unacceptable.
The proposals have also been rejected by the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, as regressive.
The news of a likely retreat sparked anger among some Tory MPs such as Tracey Crouch and Dr Sarah Wollaston.
The consultation has been led by the Home Office, although the Department of Health was closely involved. > > > > Read More
