The UK government is considering several options on pricing of alcohol and has not ruled out a minimum price per unit, MPs were told at the parliamentary health select committee’s inquiry into alcohol held last week.

MPs on the committee asked Gillian Merron, public health minister, whether she supported the chief medical officer Liam Donaldson’s call for minimum pricing on alcohol in his annual report published in March, a call that was rejected at the time. Ms Merron replied, “We work very closely with the chief medical officer. We are not ruling this out. I am interested in exploring various pricing options.

“It’s a big decision should a government decide to interfere in any way in …