Brexit minister: Spirits will ‘continue to flourish’

Brexit minister David Jones has said he is “determined” that the drinks industry will “continue to flourish” in a meeting with the Wine and Spirit Trade Association (WSTA).

WSTA chief executive Miles Beale met with Jones last week to outline the association’s aims and priorities for future trade with the EU and beyond.

The meeting also focussed on issues surrounding Brexit that impact on the industry, including movement of skilled workers and opportunities to increase the sector’s competitiveness in future.

“The UK’s wine and spirit trade makes a significant contribution to the UK economy – employing hundreds of thousands of people – and we are determined that the industry continues to flourish after we leave the EU,” said Jones.
“It was great to meet with WSTA to hear their views on the upcoming challenges and opportunities, and this continued business engagement is vital if we are to get the best deal for Britain.”

The WSTA also shared its latest discussions with members and other international wine and spirit trade bodies and its plans to develop model trade agreements.

Beale added: “For a genuinely global industry like wine and spirits, Brexit will bring both challenges and opportunities.
“We want to ensure that industry is on the front foot to help government to prepare the best possible case for uninterrupted trade with the EU, and the best possible platform for bilateral trade deals with priority countries.
“The proximity of our meeting with David Jones and our own Brexit seminar means we give our members an informed update on how government thinking is developing and how a key minister sees the next phase unfolding.
“We also had the opportunity to remind David Jones of the size and contribution made by the wine and spirit industry, which brings in £45.5bn to the UK economy and provides nearly 600,000 jobs.”

This was followed by the WSTA Brexit seminar, where key players from the industry joined forces to agree on what is needed from Brexit and how to achieve it.

The seminar marks the official launch of the WSTA’s Brexit-themed working groups: International Trade, Exiting the EU and Customs, Logistics and Movement.

The WSTA will publish a detailed Brexit-policy position paper later this month.