Soapbox: Time to look beyond duty easement

Barring a near-miracle, it is now highly unlikely that the current UK government will make permanent the temporary duty easement that is ending this coming 1 February. Speaking with Andrew Catchpole for the first of a two-part Soapbox, Miles Beale of the Wine & Spirit Trade Association (WSTA) – who campaigned tirelessly on that matter and helped galvanise the trade – says it’s time to learn the lessons from this “incredibly disappointing” outcome and look ahead to the key bumps coming down the road in 2025. The trade can, he argues, force through more positive and desirable outcomes in the near future, if it pulls together in a similarly galvanised way.