Our failure to curb binge drinking, by Labour's Alan Johnson

Writing exclusively in the Yorkshire Post, Mr Johnson says the coalition Government is right to take action to stop shops selling alcohol below cost price and says: "It's something that we should have done."

In a candid assessment of Labour's record on home affairs he insists the Home Office was left in good shape but that "there were things we did wrong, issues that I wish had been addressed more quickly and problems that we should have tried harder to resolve".

He says it took the government too long to get to grips with a backlog of immigration and asylum cases and says the party "coasted" on anti-social behaviour for a couple of years in their third term in office.

But he also attacks the coalition Government's plans to scale back the DNA database and use of CCTV, accusing the Tories of "supporting criminals in their efforts to evade capture and opposing the police".

Mr Johnson's regret at not tackling cheap alcohol pricing will reopen fierce debate over the problem of binge drinking.

"I regret not doing more to tackle the problems caused by binge drinking during my period in office," he says. "The Government is right to stop alcohol being sold below cost price. It's something that we should have done."

Having served as Health Secretary before moving to the Home Office, Hull West and Hessle MP Mr Johnson was well aware of the health, crime and social impacts of heavy drinking.

Experts at Sheffield University were called in to carry out a study into the impact of introducing a minimum price for units of alcohol, and concluded a 50p minimum price per unit of alcohol – which would mean most wines being sold at 4.50 or more and a pint of beer at no less than 1 – would save 3,393 lives each year, cut 97,900 hospital admissions and see 45,800 fewer crimes.

The idea was backed by then-Chief Medical Officer Sir Liam Donaldson, but government concerns – particularly from Number 10 and the Department for Business – over the impact on moderate drinkers of either a minimum unit price or a ban on sales below cost price and questions over whether the evidence was conclusive meant that route was never taken. Instead Ministers opted to clamp down on promotions such as "all you can drink" deals and forcing bars to offer smaller measures.

Comment: Page 14; Half-baked libertarians must not ruin our legacy: Page 15.