Tesco will have been pleased with this week’s positive PR about its support for potential new rules to ban the sale of low-cost alcohol.

Certainly, the grocer was right to admit that it has a role to play in addressing the problem of binge and under-age drinking. Of course, the same applies to every grocer and off-licence chain, which need to help ensure that alcohol is not sold to underage customers and that booze is priced responsibly.

In particular, Tesco’s offer not to seek licences in areas experiencing late-night disorder and to “review” existing licences if there is evidence that they are contributing to problem drinking is to be applauded.

However, it is far less clear whether any legislation to ensure responsible alcohol pricing would make the slightest bit of difference to the level of booze consumed by punters. Cheap alcohol is sold widely in France and Spain, but they suffer few of the UK’s binge-drinking problems.

After all, the spiralling cost of a packet of cigarettes – now approaching£6 – over the past 10 years has made a limited difference to the number of UK smokers.

Does anyone truly believe that a 20p price-hike on a can of Stella or a bottle of vodka would lead to a radical change of behaviour in drinking patterns? By the time most binge drinkers have got beyond their third pint – whether it is at home or on the street corner – price inflation is one of the last things on their mind.

Furthermore, any legislation or regulatory changes designed to ensure that alcohol is not sold below cost – sometimes under the wholesale price – would be extremely complicated. As Tesco corporate and legal affairs director Lucy Neville-Rolfe said earlier this week: “Competition law prevents businesses discussing anything to do with price with each other and imposes severe penalties for breaches.”

She added: “The only safe solution is for the Government to initiate and lead those discussions and bring forward legislative proposals which Tesco and others in our industry can support.” Again, this is a commendable proposal, but it is surprising that Tesco is calling for more red tape a few days after it slammed the Competition Commission for proposing a potential deluge of bureaucracy in its remedies report.

Whether legislation is proposed or not, the Government might want to spend its time conducting a more honest and level-headed debate about binge drinking in the UK – which has been a feature of our culture for as long as most people, even bleary alcoholics, can remember.

Yes, retailers can play their role in helping to tackle binge drinking – as can local authorities, pubs, brewers, parents, schools and the media – but Sir Terry Leahy is not to blame for hundreds of years of Anglo Saxons glorifying drinking.

Recently, supermarkets have been blamed for everything from climate change to spreading poverty in developing countries and feeding the UK’s obesity crisis. It is time to stop this finger-pointing and let the grocers get on with the business of running supermarkets.

While regulation to curb binge drinking makes for great headlines, right now, the grocery sector needs more red tape like an alcoholic needs another tin of Tennents Super.