Time to deal with Biden on whisky, says Starmer
LABOUR leader Sir Keir Starmer has called on the UK Government to negotiate with Joe Biden’s administration to remove US tariffs on Scotch whisky.
He said there was a chance for the UK to ‘reset’ its relationship with the White House following the departure of Donald Trump.
Tariffs of £5.6billion were imposed by the former president in retaliation for state support given to Airbus, with products including Scotch whisky hit hard by the measures.
But, writing in The Herald, Sir Keir said: ‘With Joe Biden now in the White House, the United Kingdom has the opportunity to reset our relationship with the United States. It is a chance for both nations to work together to reverse some of the economic damage done by Trump and his administration.
‘This will take time and it will not be easy. One particularly harmful legacy Trump leaves behind is the punitive tariffs imposed on Scotch whisky and other vital Scottish exports.
‘When businesses are working flat-out to weather the storm of the coronavirus, the 25 per cent imposed on Scotch whisky and other UK goods was an act of economic and diplomatic vandalism.’
He added: ‘With a new president and a new administration in place, the UK Government must seize this opportunity and appeal to Joe Biden to reverse Trump’s harmful tariffs.’ The EU responded to the Trump administration with tariffs on £3billion worth of US goods over subsidies given to Boeing.
In December, the UK announced it would suspend those measures from January 1, presenting it as an olive branch to the US post-Brexit.
Meanwhile, Sir Keir said Labour needs to rebuild trust and regain ground in Scotland.
An election to find a new Scottish Labour leader is now under way, only months before the next Holyrood elections in May.
Anas Sarwar is running against Monica Lennon in the leadership contest, triggered by Richard Leonard’s resignation last week.
Sir Keir said he would work with whomever emerges as the new leader, saying: ‘We have a lot of work to do in Scotland. We have to improve our position. We must rebuild trust, we must fight on the issues that really matter.’
He highlighted health, the economy and pandemic recovery as key issues affecting the country.
‘Reset our relationship’