The drinks trade has urged Liz Truss to support small businesses and invest in the industry following her appointment as prime minister.

Miles Beale, chief executive of the Wine and Spirit Trade Association (WSTA) praised Truss’s plans for tax cuts, but urged her to support small producers and the wine and spirit market as a whole.

“To help get the UK working, building and growing the new PM needs to ensure the alcohol duty review reduces red tape, boosts SME’s and keeps the UK as a central hub for the wine and spirit trade.”

Beale also noted the need for Truss’s government to address rising energy prices: “We look forward to the new Government dealing with the energy crisis, which will hit wine and spirit businesses – and hospitality generally – hard. More Government support will allow businesses to recover, invest and grow.”

Elsewhere, Emma McClarkin, chief executive of the British Beer and Pub Association, said action on the energy crisis “cannot come soon enough”, adding that Truss’s plans to freeze energy prices will “hopefully save thousands of pubs and breweries”. 

“However, for the longevity of the sector we need the PM to recognise the value and contribution of our industry to the UK”, McClarkin continued.

 “Immediate action on energy is critical, but investment in our sector for the long-term is also essential. As the PM works towards a fiscal statement and full budget we hope she will seriously consider a cut to business rates and VAT so Britain’s pubs and brewers can get back on their feet fully and thrive in the communities they proudly serve.”