Speeches by Leadbitter.

“Q7. I have the privilege to represent the home of Speyside malts, one the finest Scotch whiskies. Last week, the UK Government unveiled damaging plans to grant a different definition of single malt to English producers from that of Scottish single malts. That is entirely inconsistent with the global reputation of the q…”

“On that point, will the Minister give way?”

“Does the right hon. and learned Gentleman agree that this is not only about Ofcom but regulators more widely, and their ability to be agile? Does he believe them to be more risk-averse in areas such as digital technology, relying on traditional consultation time periods, when the technology is moving way faster?”

“It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Ms Hobhouse. We fully support this order to support the ongoing work of Social Security Scotland and the Scottish Government. I was not planning to speak for long, but the Opposition spokesperson, the hon. Member for West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine, has opened a few …”

“T4. My constituent Kia McNicoll is a mother of four children, and her three-year-old, Patryk, was recently diagnosed with cancer. Kia’s mother-in-law recently applied for a visa extension so that she can help the family with childcare through these most horrific of circumstances, but her application was rejected. Forgi…”

“At the moment, the rolling stock leasing companies take more than £1 billion of profit out of the railway. A substantial amount of that could be reinvested in improving the railway network. With the Bill for Great British Railways due to come to Parliament soon, will the Secretary of State look seriously at alternative…”

“6. What assessment she has made of the potential merits of using alternative funding models to purchase rolling stock.”

“I will give way first to the hon. Member for Glenrothes and Mid Fife (Richard Baker).”

“Yes.”

“I beg to move, That this House has considered Government support for the Scotch whisky industry. It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Dame Siobhain. Today I seek to address the critical role of the Scotch whisky industry in the UK economy and to outline the essential support that it requires from the UK Gove…”

“I totally agree with the hon. Member. It is really interesting that the industry is diversifying into new brands, new products and new styles of whisky being produced in traditional distilleries.”

“I agree entirely with those sentiments. Again, I will touch on that issue shortly. The success of the Scotch whisky industry relies on firm foundations and support. Support can take many forms, and I will endeavour to outline the key areas in which the UK Government can take positive and beneficial action. First, on tr…”

“Absolutely. That is another point that I will expand on in a bit more detail shortly. We must continue to strengthen our trade relationships. While this debate is rightly focused on UK actions, it will not have bypassed hon. Members that there has been significant media comment on tariff actions taken by the US Adminis…”

“I do not know whether I need to comment on how many different types of drink I consume. Returning to the matters at hand, exports are valued at more than £5 billion, with 43 bottles of Scotch whisky exported every second.”

“I thank the hon. Member for that intervention. I enjoy a dram now and again as well.”

“I thank the right hon. Gentleman for making that point, which I will come on to a little bit later in my speech. In 2022, Scotch whisky distilleries attracted 2 million visitors, making them the most popular tourist attraction in Scotland. Between 2018 and 2022, the industry invested £2.1 billion in capital projects, w…”

“That was a fairly lengthy intervention. The first point I would make is that the key concerns raised by the Scotch whisky industry are trade agreements and spirits taxation—and we are here to scrutinise the Government in Westminster, not Scotland. The tax increase means that a minimum of £12 of the cost of a bottle of …”

“Absolutely. As I have mentioned, 43 bottles of whisky are exported every second—that will be 75,000 bottles of whisky by the time we have finished this debate. That is a phenomenal export contribution not just to Scotland’s economy, but to the wider UK economy at the moment. I welcome the efforts made by the UK Governm…”

“Will the Minister give way?”

“It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Mr Western. I congratulate the hon. Member for Bath (Wera Hobhouse) on securing this morning’s debate. I will not speak for too long, because we have had several debates on this issue; instead, I will focus on the key points that I think need hammering home. For several y…”