Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Antony Higginbotham and Kevin Hollinrake

Thursday 9th February 2023 Commons Chamber

[Kevin Hollinrake]

I know my hon. Friend is visiting one of his distilleries next week. I agree with him that opening new markets to our whisky exporters is one of the great opportunities open to us in a post-Brexit Britain. As he knows, whisky is one of the UK’s largest food and drink exports, with £4.6 billion in 2021. We have an ambitious programme of free trade agreement negotiations to break down barriers. We are now in our sixth round of negotiations with India this very week.

[Antony Higginbotham (Burnley) (Con)]

6. What steps her Department is taking to help secure more inward investment into the UK.

--- Later in debate ---

[Antony Higginbotham (Burnley) (Con)]

T7. It is brilliant to see that state-level memorandums of understanding are being signed in the US, but with only three so far, it is clear that we can go further to cement that important trading relationship. What progress are we making with other states, and when can we expect further MOUs to be signed?

[Kevin Hollinrake]

Absolutely. We have agreed MOUs with Indiana, North Carolina and, most recently, South Carolina, as my hon. Friend sets out. We are actively engaging with other states, including Oklahoma, Utah, Texas and California, and I look forward to updating the House on further progress.