Moray MP Douglas Ross has welcomed an announcement from the UK Government that it is taking an “independent” approach to longstanding trade conflicts between the EU and the US.
Secretary of State for International Trade Liz Truss has said the UK will suspend retaliatory tariffs resulting the Boeing/Airbus dispute. The move is an attempt to bring the US towards a reasonable settlement and show the UK is serious about reaching a negotiated outcome.
The EU and the US have been engaged in a protracted dispute over subsidies to airlines, with outgoing US President Donald Trump imposing charges on imports including Scotch whisky and cashmere. In return, the EU has placed tariffs on $4billion worth of US products.
Scottish Conservative MP Mr Ross has repeatedly called for the UK Government to do all it can to resolve the dispute and protect the Scotch whisky industry.
Scottish Conservative MP for Moray Douglas Ross said:
"This is a very welcome announcement from the Trade Secretary and the UK Government.
"The tariffs imposed on Scotch whisky have been severely damaging to the sector here in Moray and across Scotland. Likewise, textiles have also been hit and that has had an impact on businesses based here in Moray. That’s why I have been continually raising this issue in Parliament and with government ministers as we seek to find a solution
"It is unfortunate that the EU has not been able to settle this dispute and avoid crippling charges on our exports to the US.
“However, this move from the UK Government today sends a very clear signal to the incoming administration in the United States that we want to see this matter settled.
“These tariffs have disproportionally impacted Scottish and Moray products so I’m pleased to see that we are progressing with our efforts to have them removed.
“Our ability post-Brexit to set our own policy and take action to protect some of our key industries underlines the benefit of the UK regaining its status as an independent trading nation.”
Chief Executive of the Scotch Whisky Association Karen Betts said:
“This is a very encouraging step by the UK Government and we welcome it. It shows the UK Government’s determination to de-escalate the damaging transatlantic trade disputes that have seen Scotch Whisky exports to the US fall by over 30% in the past year. We now call on the US Government to reciprocate by suspending the tariffs on UK goods stemming from the Airbus/Boeing dispute, so that industries in the UK and the US affected by this dispute can once again trade freely.
“The US Government’s removal of Airbus retaliation on Scotch could, in turn, justify the UK removing tariffs on US whiskey under the steel and aluminium dispute. Moves such as these pave the way for both governments to intensify efforts to reach a final resolution to both the Airbus/Boeing and steel and aluminium disputes, which have caused real disruption to businesses and raised costs for consumers in both countries.
“It is encouraging that the UK Government is making use of the flexibility of an independent trade policy to help find solutions to issues that, in Scotch Whisky’s case, are damaging our global exports. We hope that this marks the beginning of the end of trade tensions with the US.”