Autumn Budget: the importance of UK spirits

UK spirits are key to our economy. Take, for instance, Scotch; sold in 200 markets worldwide, it supports 40,000 jobs and is our single biggest food and drink export, with 39 bottles exported each second.

Or how about gin? The UK exported half a billion pounds of gin in 2017; a figure that could top £600 million this year, with markets including the USA, Australia, and Europe growing rapidly. The UK accounts for 67 per cent of all gin traded around the world, in what is a booming category.

At Pernod Ricard, we employ more than 2,000 Britons, exporting the likes of The Glenlivet, Chivas and Beefeater to 160 countries globally, and selling to pubs, bars, restaurants and retailers across the UK. We’re part of a broader spirits footprint; £30 billion of economic activity; 170,000 jobs; one in every seven bottles traded globally. The government should be backing this industry. Instead, it’s taxing it to the hilt.