WSTA: UK government needs to ‘get a grip’

The Wine and Spirit Trade Association’s (WSTA) CEO Miles Beale has told the UK government to “get a grip” on its Brexit strategy and present the wine and spirits trade with a clear plan for the UK’s trading future if it wants to prevent “Brexit chaos”.

Miles Beale WSTA CEO

One year on from the referendum, which resulted in the UK starting negotiations to leave the European Union, the wine and spirits trade remains in the dark over how the UK’s future trade policy will look like.

While Prime Minister Theresa May has made a point of voicing her support for free trade agreements, the government is yet to present a cohesive strategy on its plans post-Brexit.

Revealing the “deep seated” concerns held by members of the WSTA, Beale warned that ministers needed to set aside their differences and produce a clear plan for Brexit, otherwise he said the trade “will suffer”.

“We have been encouraged by some recent comments made by the Chancellor, Philip Hammond, but just when you think there is a plan in place another minster comes in and contradicts it,” said Beale.

“It is simply not good enough for businesses needing to plan for their future and that of their employees. It has been over a year since the referendum and over four months since Article 50 was triggered. We have had nothing solid from Government since the White Paper and no coherent message about our trading future. Our industry needs to feel confident that there is an agreed, carefully thought through, plan for trade before we leave the EU. Without it businesses are just bystanders – increasingly frustrated ones at that.

“We want to see the Government getting a grip, forming a plan, communicating clearly and taking it to the EU to get a deal that works for everyone”.

The trade association, which represents over 300 wine and spirits business, has continually called for the government to negotiate a deal that would include a transition period that would allow the UK to quickly agree a Free Trade Agreement with the EU, alongside further bilateral FTAs with major trading partners.

“The wine and spirit industry has had enough of political posturing and cabinet rifts which have led to a flurry of mixed messages over what we should expect from the Government approach to Brexit,” he said. “Put bluntly we want Government to get a grip and put to rest some of the deep seated concerns facing our trade – by telling us clearly what they are going to ask for when negotiations get serious in the Autumn.”

BREXIT FOCUS

The WSTA has already announced a Brexit focus for its Annual Conference in September, which will see the Minister of State for International Trade, Lord Price, and Wetherspoon boss, Tim Martin, make keynote addresses.

This year’s conference will debate what needs to be done to support the industry and invite attendees to think creatively about the opportunities that Brexit may present, while also keeping attendees up-to-date with the latest Brexit-related developments with the aim of stimulating” fresh ideas on dealing with the challenges and opportunities ahead”.

The WSTA Annual Conference is set to take place on Tuesday 12 September at The Royal Institution of Great Britain in London.

For more in-depth analysis on the implications of Brexit for the drinks industry, read our full interview wile Miles Beale here.