Question to the Department for International Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what assessment her Department has made of the impact of the UK’s free trade agreement with India on whisky exports from the UK to India.

A free trade agreement (FTA) with India offers the opportunity to deepen our already strong trade relationship, which was worth £24.3 billion in 2021.

The UK is a competitive supplier of whisky, having exported £146 million worth of whisky to India in 2021. However, Indian most favoured nation (MFN) tariffs on whisky are high at up to 150%. A comprehensive FTA would assist UK whisky exporters by addressing tariff barriers as well as non-tariff barriers such as customs provisions, helping to increase their competitiveness in the Indian market.