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John Swinney has stated he wish to be concerned in commerce talks between the UK and US following conferences with President Donald Trump about whisky.
The First Minister has met Mr Trump quite a few instances this yr, championing tariff aid for the Scotch whisky business – the UK’s largest drinks export.
Discussions stay ongoing in regards to the imposition of a ten% tariff on exports from the UK to the US, a results of Mr Trump’s want for the levies.
Talking to the US president earlier this yr throughout a go to to Scotland, Mr Swinney put the difficulty of the Scotch business on the desk, with Mr Trump saying he “didn’t know whisky was an issue”, however showing open to shifting on the difficulty.
Talking to the PA information company forward of the SNP convention in Aberdeen, the First Minister stated: “I’ve not been aware of the commerce talks.
“I wish to be, as a result of I feel I’ve truly been fairly useful in all of this.
“It’s clear to me earlier on this yr that whisky was probably not that includes within the commerce talks in any respect, it was not there as a precept negotiating precedence for the UK Authorities.
“Nicely, I had to verify it was, as a result of it actually issues to Scotland.”
Commerce stays reserved to the UK Authorities and the First Minister’s go to to Washington final month was facilitated by former ambassador Lord Peter Mandelson.
Stories emerged final week that whisky may very well be exempted from the US tariffs, however the First Minister stated he had not heard any updates.
“We’ve sought engagement with the UK Authorities on the commerce talks and we’ve had a specific amount of data, however nothing of the element and I’ve no replace on the occasions because the final time I had interactions with the Prime Minister on the margins of the state banquet at Windsor Citadel after I had the chance to debate it as soon as once more with President Trump and likewise a variety of senior members of President Trump’s administration,” he stated.
The First Minister argued there was an incentive for the US to scale back tariffs, given casks used to make bourbon whiskey are offered to distilleries in Scotland to age their product, with a fall in output right here that means a decline in demand for American casks.
“That’s a really invaluable commerce – it’s price 300 million {dollars} a yr,” he stated.
“Once I was in the USA in early September, I talked to one of many corporations producing the whiskey casks and so they’re having orders cancelled from Scotland as a result of there isn’t adequate manufacturing in Scotland to benefit the casks coming from the USA.
“So, if we simply have been to take all of this out of the commerce talks to say ‘let’s have zero for zero’, we’d see an enchancment within the fortunes for Scotch whisky and we’d see an enchancment within the fortunes for, principally, pursuits within the state of Kentucky and the Kentucky bourbon business.”
A spokeswoman for the UK Authorities stated: “We’ve got at all times used our commerce agenda to advertise our world-class Scotch whisky business, by regularly participating with the US on the difficulty and securing vital tariffs cuts in our different commerce offers like with India.
“Our deal in Might secured preferential entry to Scotch whisky to the US market in contrast with different main economies.
“We proceed to work to make sure this deal protects British jobs and exports as a part of our Plan for Change.”
