Stevenson Calls on Tories to Stop 'Dithering' on Whisky Tariffs

Banffshire and Buchan Coast MSP Stewart Stevenson has accused Tory ministers of ‘dithering’ over US tariffs on Scotch whisky.

The US introduced crippling tariffs on the sector last year, costing the industry £176million in the first part of 2020, according to new figures from the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (SPICe).

It is now being reported that UK Government Tory ministers are planning on extending an olive branch to the new Biden administration in Washington in an attempt to have the tariffs lifted.

The Department of International Trade said lifting the tariffs would be it’s ‘top priority’ but more than a year later the issue has continued to rumble on.

The failure to settle the issue forms part of a growing list of broken promises made to Scotland. Boris Johnson also promised around the same time last year to find an Energy Sector Deal, which has also not come to fruition.

Commenting, Stewart Stevenson MSP said:

“For more than a year the Tories have dithered on this issue costing the industry to lose out on millions.

“Alongside the global pandemic this has been an incredibly difficult year for the sector which has been left out in the cold by this Tory government.

“These tariffs need removed immediately as Scotch whisky producers could soon be hit by the double-whammy of tariffs to export to Europe with a low-deal or no-deal Brexit, a further blow to businesses.

“Scotch whisky is a brand renowned worldwide, so the Tories must show the urgency that they promised to have these tariffs lifted or risk one of Scotland’s greatest exports.”