Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of excise duty levels on the export competitiveness of UK-produced spirits; and what spirit exports were by (a) value and (b) volume in the last period for which data is available.

DBT helps distillers access global markets and increase competitiveness through free trade agreements such as the UK-India FTA, breaking down market access barriers and providing targeted support via business.gov.uk. Excise duty does not apply to spirits produced and exported from the UK. In the 12 months to August 2025, UK spirit exports were provisionally valued at £6.7 billion, with a total volume of around 500 million litres.