Tony Blair on Wednesday defended plans to allow longer pub opening hours later this year, but promised to "come down really hard" on those who abuse the new freedoms.
The prime minister responded to growing concern among police officers, the medical profession and among some in Westminster that a new licensing regime will lead to an explosion of binge drinking and thuggish behaviour.
The Conservatives, Liberal Democrats and some Labour MPs want the changes to be delayed until alcohol-fuelled violence has been brought under control.
David Davis, shadow home secretary, said Labour was "content to unleash 24-hour drinking on our towns and cities" and that town centres would become "no-go areas" for the law-abiding majority.
Party Response: Conservative
David Davis, shadow home secretary, said: "The consequences of binge drinking are very serious - fights, intimidation, shop windows smashed in, communities vandalised. Yet Labour are content to unleash 24 hour drinking on our towns and cities which will only make this problem worse. While the minority turn our town centres into no-go areas it is the majority who suffer.
"The government should delay 24-hour opening until we conquer binge drinking. Tony Blair has had seven years to sort out binge drinking – but the problem is only getting worse. Under Labour the number of people cautioned or found guilty of selling alcohol to youngsters under 18 has fallen by half.
"Only the Conservatives will take action to tackle binge drinking head on by enforcing zero tolerance policing and giving local authorities the power to deal with problem premises."
Stakeholder Response: Royal College of Physicians
Professor Ian Gilmore, chairman of the Royal College of Physicians' alcohol committee, said: "Already, alcohol-related diseases are costing the NHS about £1.7 billion every year. Around 17 million working days are lost annually because of alcohol abuse, costing our economy £6.4 billion.
"Seventy per cent of all weekend night-time admissions to hospitals' Accident and Emergency departments are linked to alcohol. More than half of all violent crime is related to drink. We have serious doubts that the continental style of drinking will be so easily translated into Britain.
"Given the starting point of an epidemic of binge drinking, it is more likely that liberalisation will instead be associated with a rise in alcohol misuse, drunkenness, medical damage, violence and public disorder.
"The places that will take advantage of changes in the law are not the local, neighbourhood pubs where responsible drinking already occurs and the staff know their customers. It will be the large, anonymous, urban establishments, with a young clientele, that will benefit most - but experience the most trouble, whether it is through an increase in street violence or in damage to health."
Stakeholder Response: Association of Chief Police Officers
Chris Allison, ACPO lead on licensing issues and a commander in the Metropolitan Police Service, said: "While ACPO acknowledges the positive elements of the new Licensing Act, which will empower the authorities to impact on crime and disorder issues that result from licensed premises, it does have considerable concerns about the extension of the hours and the move towards 24 hour opening.
"This position was articulated during 2002 and 2003 as the Licensing Bill was passing through government and our concerns come on two levels. The first is that it could result in people drinking until later and the night-time economy becoming busier, the second is that people are more likely to drink more.
"The result will be more people under the influence of alcohol or drunk, and this will lead to more crime and disorder. The implications for the police service in terms of additional workload are significant and officers will have to be diverted from other policing priorities and activities to undertake enforcement activity against those who are drunk and disorderly.
"The potential solution to alcohol fuelled crime and disorder is not simple but requires a holistic view. This means Local Authorities taking account of the effects and requirements of a night-time economy when planning future city and town centre areas, investing in a public education programme to help change the binge-drinking culture that exists and the licensing trade acting responsibly at all times, ensuring that they act within the law and do not encourage excessive drinking, either by irresponsible promotions or by premises design (e.g. no seating areas or no areas for drinks to be put down).
"Where such preventative measures fail, enforcement action and a sanction regime, consistently applied in the courts will act as a real deterrent."
Stakeholder Response: Alcohol Concern
Geethika Jayatilika, director of policy and public affairs at Alcohol Concern, said: "In theory, the aims behind the Licensing Act are worthy - reducing crime and disorder and tackling the binge drinking culture - but at its heart the Licensing Act is a de-regulatory act. In practice, given the UK's prevailing drinking culture, these changes are more likely to increase crime and disorder rather than curb it.
"It is entirely appropriate for local licensing decisions to be transferred from magistrates to local authorities as they have a duty to prevent crime and disorder in their areas. However, the provisions of the Act and the accompanying government guidance severely hamper their ability to manage the night-time economy.
"Under the new Act it is very difficult for local authorities to make objections to a license application and few authorities can match the legal might of drinks companies in the courts when it comes to defending licensing decisions.
"Alcohol Concern wants to see a robust licensing regime that will create a safe, pleasant drinking environment for all members of the community. We recognise that extending licensing hours, without putting in place the necessary infrastructure to cope with the impact of people drinking into the early hours is a recipe for disaster.
"Combined problems such as increased street refuse, noise from pubs and from people on their way home, not to mention the concentration of young people engaging in anti-social behaviour such as fighting and street urination can be intolerable for residents in central urban areas. Whilst troublemakers are in the small minority, it is the majority of us who suffer, in terms of violence and disorder and in police and emergency services being diverted from attending more serious incidents.
"The government has yet to finalise the license fees which local authorities will be able to charge. The current suggestions will simply not cover the costs of running the new regime, meaning that local residents may well end up subsidising businesses.
"Under the new legislation local authorities need to be given the power and resources to manage the night-time economy in their areas. Similarly local services such as police need support to enable them to carry out their role in policing alcohol-related disorder.
"The national alcohol strategy for England outlines a specific role for the drinks industry in preventing alcohol-related disorder. However, the crackdowns last summer showed that the drinks industry has yet to get its house in order - in an intelligence-led sting operation on premises believed to selling alcohol to underage drinkers, 52 per cent of pubs and bars were found to sell to under 18 year olds as were 32 per cent of off licences. Not to mention the numerous licensees that are irresponsibly selling alcohol to obviously intoxicated customers - to judge by the 6000 arrests and 4000 on- the-spot penalties that police officers made for alcohol-related offences.
"The Licensing Act was drawn up prior to national alcohol strategy and so the government needs to reconsider the impact that the new licensing provisions will have on their commitment to tackling alcohol related crime and disorder and to reducing health harms caused by excess drinking."
