In February, the World Health Organization's European office declared: "Clear and prominent health warning labels on alcohol, which include a specific cancer warning, are a cornerstone of the right to health."

In a report, it urged governments to introduce them to help reduce alcohol-related harm and raise awareness of the link between drinking and cancer.

Dr Gauden Galea, a WHO adviser, said in the report that policymakers should "resist all the pressure that will inevitably come from commercial actors" who claim such warnings do not work.