Business
Trump meets Scottish First Minister John Swinney to discuss whisky tariffs
First Minister John Swinney has met President Donald Trump in the Oval Office to discuss whisky tariffs.
The meeting took place in the Oval Office, where the President was accompanied by Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Mr Swinney says he discussed the possibility for a better tariff deal for Scotch whisky.
A 50-minute meeting took place ahead of the US President’s State Visit to the United Kingdom next week.
The First Minister confirmed to Mr Trump he would attend the State Banquet at Windsor Palace.
He said: “With the US state visit to the UK just days away, we are now entering the critical days on which hopes of a better tariff deal for Scotch whisky rest. Scotch whisky holds a unique position, as it can only legally be produced in Scotland.
“During my discussions with President Trump, I made the case to reduce the tariffs on the Scotch whisky industry – something the US industry supports.
“The United States is the largest market for Scotch whisky but Scottish distillers also spend hundreds of millions of dollars every year buying Bourbon casks from Kentucky.
“The negotiations themselves are, of course, for the UK negotiating team but given whisky exports to the US were worth almost £1 billion in 2024, its importance to the Scottish economy cannot be underestimated and I am determined to do all that I can to protect and safeguard this iconic Scottish product.”
The First Minister also raised the international situation including the ongoing conflict in Gaza and Qatar.
Mr Swinney is in the United States to undertake a series of trade and political meetings involving both main US political parties.
In a video posted to X, he confirmed he had met Mr Trump and discussed whisky tariffs, in particular, the possibility of no tariffs on Scotch whisky.
He said: “I wanted to share an update on my visit to Washington, DC. I spent the morning with representatives of the whisky industry from Scotland and the United States and we discussed the zero-for-zero approach on tariffs, which would help the industry to flourish on both sides of the pond.
“I’ve now taken those arguments to the Oval Office to President Trump, and we’ve had a constructive discussion about the reasons why Scotch whisky would benefit from no tariffs.
“It’s all part of my job to make sure that Scotland’s interests are promoted at all times, and that’s what I’ll always do as First Minister.”
The meeting at the White House was scheduled to last around 30 minutes and took place at 7pm UK time.
Prior to the meeting at the White House, the First Minister met representatives and member companies of the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States (Discus) and the Scotch Whisky Association (SWA) at Mount Vernon, the home of US founding father George Washington and the site of a whisky distillery he opened in 1798 which was operated by his Scottish farm hand, James Anderson.
The First Minister flew to Washington DC on Tuesday, saying he would be “pressing the case” for a better tariff deal for Scotch whisky in key talks in the United States.
Oil and gas services firm Petrofac has filed for administration, putting around 2,000 Scottish jobs at risk.
The company is tumbling into insolvency after recent restructuring plans collapsed in the wake of a failed renewables contract in the Netherlands.
On Monday, Petrofac told investors that it has applied to the High Court to appoint administrators.
The firm employs more than 7,000 workers globally.
This includes around 2,000 employees from its UK base in Aberdeen, with around 1,200 of these offshore and a further 800 onshore in training and operational roles.
Petrofac said it will now enter insolvency after Dutch electricity grid TenneT terminated a major contract to build windfarms.
The company stressed that the administration will affect the group’s main holding company.
It will continue to trade and assess options for an alternative restructuring, with different merger and acquisition options also being explored with its key creditors.
Advisers at corporate finance firm Teneo are expected to advise over the administration.
“When appointed, administrators will work alongside executive management to preserve value, operational capability and ongoing delivery across the group’s operating and trading entities,” the company said.
Petrofac’s UK business is based in Aberdeen and is involved in the operation of North Sea oil platforms for firms including BP and Shell.
It also has smaller offices in London, Woking and Great Yarmouth.
The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) has stressed the Government will work with Petrofac after the oil and gas services group filed for administration.
A DESNZ spokeswoman said: “The UK arm of Petrofac has not entered administration and is continuing to operate as normal, as an in-demand business with a highly-skilled workforce and many successful contracts.
“Petrofac’s administration is a product of longstanding issues in their global business.
“The Government will continue to work with the UK company as it focuses on its long-term future.
“Ministers are working across all parts of government led by DESNZ in support of this.”
The company was worth around £6 billion at its peak in 2012 but has slumped in recent years.
It was worth around £20 million when its shares were suspended in May after being severely impacted by an investigation by the Serious Fraud Office and volatile energy prices.
PA MediaHundreds of families have had their child benefit payments stopped because they returned to Northern Ireland via Dublin airport.
It follows the introduction of a new government anti-fraud system designed to track those who leave the country but do not come back after eight weeks, raising a red flag at HMRC for possible emigration.
Sinn Féin MP Dáire Hughes, who is representing 14 of the families affected, called the system “flawed”.
As first reported in The Detail, HMRC have apologised for the mistake and said they were “working at pace” to reinstate claims so families are “not left out of pocket”.
PA MediaThe government crackdown on alleged benefit fraud compares HMRC records with Home Office international travel data.
That means families returning to Northern Ireland through Dublin Airport were mistakenly flagged as having gone abroad and were therefore fraudulently claiming benefits.
In one instance a person flew out from Belfast and back through Dublin, while in another a family had travelled to England and back again via Dublin because it was cheaper.
UK and Irish citizens can travel freely into each other’s countries under the Common Travel Area arrangement (CTA).
There are no routine passport checks when travelling through the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, meaning the UK government has no data to show that someone may have returned to Northern Ireland.
HMRC said it would be introducing an “upfront check” to identify Northern Ireland customers whose exit from the UK was to the Republic of Ireland and will not suspend their payments without first clarifying their residency.
‘Simply appalling’
Hughes, who is the MP for Newry and Armagh, told BBC Radio Ulster’s Good Morning Ulster programme that the policy was being “created in a context of being completely oblivious to the realities of life on this island”.
He said that people from Northern Ireland use Dublin Airport for a variety of reasons and it is “just as handy” to them as either airport in Belfast.
“It is quite patently a ridiculous set up, where months and months, in some cases years after returning to the north, a letter arrives at peoples doors informing them that their child benefits have been suspended and in order to get them reinstated there are extensive hoops to jump through,” he added.
“It’s simply appalling.”
He said he has received a “number of confirmations that payments have been reinstated” to some of the families he represents.
Hughes welcomed the news and added that HMRC had to ensure it did not happen again.
‘Protect taxpayers’ money’ – HMRC
HMRC said it had involved a “small number of customers in Northern Ireland”.
As of 17 October 2025, HMRC said they had had sent enquiry letters to 346 customers from Northern Ireland. This is out of 219,255 customers claiming child benefit in Northern Ireland.
HMRC also said they have reinstated payments and closed enquires to 134 people after carrying out employment checks.
There are 46 cases which are currently undergoing these checks and HMRC confirmed they will reinstate payments once they are complete.
Child benefit is paid to more 6.9 million families, supporting 11.9 million children. It is one of the most widely accessed forms of benefit in the UK.
HMRC said a successful pilot scheme focusing on those who left the UK but carried on claiming, had already prevented £17m in wrongful payments by removing them from the system.
“It’s crucial that we undertake this work to protect taxpayers’ money,” HMRC added.
Energy services firm Petrofac has filed for administration.
The company, which employs about 2,000 people in Scotland, said its North Sea business would continue to operate as normal.
In a statement, Petrofac said it had applied to appoint administrators for its holding company, but that alternative restructuring options were being explored.
It added that administrators would work to “preserve value, operational capability and ongoing delivery”.
The decision comes after Dutch grid operator TenneT terminated a major offshore wind contract with Petrofac, scuppering a planned financial restructuring.
The firm, which has UK offices in Aberdeen, London, Woking and Great Yarmouth, said further information on the administration process would be provided in due course.
Founded in Texas in 1981, Petrofac designs and builds facilities for oil, gas and renewables projects, as well as providing engineering, project management and logistical services.
It has been involved in the operation of North Sea oil platforms for firms including BP and Shell.
Once a FTSE 100 firm, the company was worth around £6bn at its peak in 2012 but it has slumped in recent years following a Serious Fraud Office investigation and a series of profit warnings.
Petrofac was worth around £20m when its shares were suspended in May. The firm has cited delays in contract payments and rising operating costs.
A spokesperson for the UK Department of Energy Security and Net Zero said: “The UK arm of Petrofac has not entered administration and is continuing to operate as normal, as an in-demand business with a highly skilled workforce and many successful contracts.”
They said the administration process was a result of “long-standing issues” in the firm’s worldwide operations.
The spokesperson added: “The government will continue to work with the UK company as it focuses on its long-term future.”
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