BRITAIN could be facing a Guinness shortage in the event of a no-deal Brexit, Liberal Democrat leader Vince Cable has warned.
The MP for Twickenham was speaking after meeting with executives from Guinness owners Diageo in Edinburgh, Scotland.
He and party colleague Christine Jardine, MP for Edinburgh West, were discussing the impact of a no-deal or bad Brexit with the company’s representatives.
According to the Daily Mail, Cable said that anything other than a frictionless border could affect supply.
“It’s a global business, it depends on having frictionless borders,” he said after the meeting.
“Anything that screws up their trade is a problem for them.
“There are some specific issues – the supply chains in Ireland, for example, go across the Irish frontier.
“You've got whisky going one way and cream going the other to make Baileys.
“If the Irish border is a problem then they have a serious problem as a company.
“You can envisage a situation in which Guinness and Baileys, which are the two brands which are the most affected, are seriously disrupted.
“In an extreme scenario, where there is no deal or a very bad deal, you could see these favourite products drying up.”
A Diageo spokesperson told the Mail that while a frictionless border was the company’s preferred option, Guinness would continue to be sold in Britain no matter what.
However Lib Dem leader Cable warned border issues could lead to increase costs.
