A clampdown on cheap alcohol would help to cut teenage pregnancy, reduce admissions to A&E and increase life expectancy, a Westcountry MP has told Parliament.

Conservative MP Dr Sarah Wollaston yesterday pressed ministers to back her campaign to introduce minimum pricing to tackle the effects of binge drinking.

The Member for Totnes detailed a series of shocking statistics on the impact of alcohol abuse, with drink contributing to 22,000 deaths in Britain every year and costing the country £20 billion.

She said the effects of heavy dependence on alcohol and binge drinking – including emergency admissions to hospital, under-age pregnancy and premature deaths – can be tackled through education and restrictions on advertising, among many measures.

In a Westminster Hall debate, she added: “Without action on pricing, nothing else is going to be as effective as it could be.”

Yet she faced criticism from a fellow Tory, who said the plan to make alcohol more expensive heralded a return to the “nanny state health police” of the Labour government.

Health Minister Anne Milton gave the policy a cool reception ahead of publishing the Government’s long-awaited alcohol strategy in the “coming weeks”.

She argued the Government had already pledged to end the sale of alcohol at cost price, which would tackle the problem of a can of cider costing less than a bottle of water.

But Dr Wollaston, a former GP, told Parliament: “There is no such thing as a cheap drink. We are all paying a very heavy price.”

She contends minimum pricing will not hit community pubs or sensible drinkers in the pocket.

Ministers have previously said that minimum pricing would contravene EU law, but David Cameron has indicated support for using pricing to tackle anti-social behaviour and its multi-billion-pound costs.

The Scottish Parliament is considering minimum prices. At 50p per alcoholic unit, a pint of bitter would cost no less than about £1.20 and a large glass of wine would have a floor price of around £1.50. The cost varies based on the strength of the alcohol content. Dr Wollaston also called for a clampdown on alcohol marketing and warned of a conflict of interest where the drinks industry funds awareness programmes.

The former police surgeon added supermarkets should label alcohol products more clearly, demanded a reduction in the drink-drive limit and asked for increased powers for police to order breath tests.

She went on there is “no doubt” price affects behaviour, arguing that in Scotland the change in pricing policy – such as banning multi-buy deals – has caused a 14 per cent fall in beer sales.

Alcohol abuse blights coastal towns in the Westcountry as underage drinkers flock to the region for post-exams pilgrimages.

Dr Wollaston’s call for minimum drinking is backed by Cornwall MP Stephen Gilbert, whose constituency includes Newquay, the seaside resort that attracts around 5,000 teenagers in the summer weeks.

Mr Gilbert, Lib Dem MP for Newquay and St Austell, said: “The opposition to minimum pricing is setting up straw men by saying minimum pricing would penalise moderate drinkers.”

But Philip Davies, Tory MP for Shipley, West Yorkshire, claimed people had to be responsible to themselves for what they drink. He said people who argue for stricter controls on alcohol sales will “never be satisfied”. He argues making alcohol more expensive would just mean people spending a greater share of their income on alcohol. He said: “I had hoped the country had escaped from the nanny state health police with the end of the last Government.”

Responding, Ms Milton said: “The fact is, shops sell alcohol at a loss to get customers through the door. That can encourage binge drinking and that is why we are committed to banning sales below cost. There are many ways to achieve this aim and we will continue to review all the evidence.”