Minimum pricing for alcohol would save thousands of lives in England and Wales every year, a senior Labour MP stressed today.

Kevin Barron, chair of the House of Commons Health Select Committee, called for the measure to stem increasing rates of addiction and the multibillion cost to society in terms of treatment and crime.

It commanded widespread support, including among health experts, the Chief Medical Officer, Sir Liam Donaldson, and the Association of Chief Police Officers (Acpo), he said.

In January the committee said minimum pricing for alcoholic drinks, mandatory health warnings on labels and a rise in tax on spirits should be introduced to stem the "shocking" rise in alcohol misuse in England.

Its scathing report accused the Government of a "failure of will and competence" over alcohol policy and said ministers were too close to drinks companies and supermarkets.

During a Commons estimates day debate on alcohol today, Mr Barron (Rother Valley) rejected as a "myth" the claim that moderate drinkers would be affected.

He stressed that minimum pricing would actually hit those who drank cheap alcohol, such as young binge drinkers and heavy drinkers on low-incomes.

These groups suffered the most heavily from liver disease and other alcohol-related health problems, he said.

He said: "It is estimated that a minimum price of 50p per unit of alcohol would save about 3,000 lives a year and a minimum price of 40p per unit would save about 1,100 lives a year.

"Minimum pricing would have other benefits, unlike rises in (alcohol) duty it would benefit traditional pubs and this is supported by the Campaign for Real Ale.

"It is true to say minimum pricing would be more likely to support your local pub than do anything adverse to it."

He said minimum pricing would also encourage drinkers to switch to weaker beers, wines and ciders. It would have the greatest impact on the cheap high-strength lagers and what he called "industrial white cider".

Labour's Graham Stringer (Manchester Blackley) said alcohol duty on white cider, a drink favoured by many alcoholics and binge drinkers, should be brought up to the same level as beer.

He said it was "wrong" that spirits had only seen duty rise 20% since Labour came to power, compared to 50% for beer.

Mr Barron claimed the "industrial white cider" only cost 20p per unit at the supermarket, adding: "This is the stuff you see young children and people on park benches drinking and that has to stop."

Mr Barron told the Commons that drinking habits had been transformed over the past 60 years, with national consumption soaring from three and a half litres of pure alcohol per head in 1947 to nine and a half now.

The cost to society of alcohol misuse, including violence, ill-health and death, has been estimated at up to £55 billion a year, he added.

For the Liberal Democrats, Greg Mulholland backed the call for minimum pricing and called for better education to fight alcohol abuse.

He said politicians should not set the minimum price, but should leave that to an independent body made up of economists, health professionals and industry representatives.

Mr Mulholland said it was "very regrettable" that some sections of the drinks industry were "deliberately" doing away with traditional community pubs, in favour of "vertical drinking" bars, which encouraged people to drink more.

"We don't need a continental cafe culture," he said. "We need a culture that respects and understands alcohol more."

Labour's Howard Stoate, a practising GP, lamented advertising that portrays alcohol as the fulfilment of consumers' desires and aspirations.

Drinking is now seen by most young people as an "essential lifestyle prop".

Dr Stoate (Dartford), a health select committee member, told MPs: "I don't attack the industry lightly and I don't think the whole industry is to blame, but they really do need to get their own house in order if we are to protect young people.

"With a changing market... and the far less control there is over internet and viral advertising, it's even more important that the firms act responsibly to ensure that young people are not exposed to increasing levels of glamour towards alcohol.

"That will lead inevitably to increased health risks in the future."

Tory Robert Syms (Poole) said minimum pricing may not work because many young people are simply stealing their parents' alcohol from the sideboard.

Labour's Kelvin Hopkins (Luton North) called on ministers to "act now" to tackle alcohol-related problems.

He suggested a range of measures, including a visual warning for pregnant women on drink labels, raising the drinking age and abolishing 24-hour licences.

Independent MP Dr Richard Taylor (Wyre Forest), a member of the health select committee, agreed with the need for greater warnings for pregnant women, saying some babies were born addicted to alcohol and had to go through a withdrawal process.

But Tory Philip Davies (Shipley) spoke out against minimum pricing.

He said: "Why should the vast majority of my constituents, who are perfectly moderate, decent drinkers who don't abuse alcohol whatsoever...pay more for their alcohol from the supermarket in order to tackle a problem of youth drinking?"

Labour's Stephen Hesford (Wirral W), a member of the health committee, joined the calls for minimum pricing.

He said: "I don't understand what the objection is from the Government on this.

"Is it that 40,000 deaths a year from alcohol-related diseases is not enough to tip the point?"

SNP spokesman Pete Wishart said his party was attempting to steer minimum price legislation through the Scottish Parliament but it was being blocked by Lib Dem and Labour politicians.

He said: "We have legislation just now where we could get this through, we could have minimum pricing, we could be improving the health of our nation.

"The legislation is there and in place but Liberal and Labour are acting as an oppositional block to stop this getting through."