Liz Truss blasts ‘unacceptable’ US tariffs on Scotch whisky
International trade secretary Liz Truss has slammed the “unacceptable and unfair” US tariffs on British products, while also vowing to negotiate their end when the UK leaves the post-Brexit transition period.
The US levelled tariffs on several European countries last year – after permission from the World Trade Organisation (WTO) – as a part of a long-running dispute between Airbus and Boeing.
This included tariffs on British products, such as whisky, salmon and cashmere.
The US announced last week that it would not also impose planned tariffs on a further £5.75bn of British goods and that it had dropped import taxes on shortbread biscuits.
Truss wrote in the Daily Telegraph calling for the existing tariffs to be scrapped by the US, while also calling the whisky industry ” a jewel in our national crown”.
“I am determined to settle the issue as soon as possible and help our struggling producers,” she said.
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She also pointed the finger at the EU for not doing enough to reduce the tariffs through its negotiations with the WTO.
She said that the UK’s exit from the EU single market and customs union will give the government better a platform to negotiate an end to the tariffs.
“While we do have some more powers now, from 1 January we’ll be an independent trading nation once again, with our own tariff regime, and will be able to take direct control of this,” she said.
“The government is stepping up talks with the US to try and break the impasse, and will be entering into further discussions with my opposite number US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer in the coming weeks.”
The UK and US are currently negotiating a free trade deal, with talks still far from yielding an agreement.
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Last year, some government figures said the aim was to have a deal done this year, however this was always considered unlikely.
Some of the key sticking points in negotiations are agriculture exports from the US and digital services.