Diageo to axe more than 100 Scots jobs '˜because of Brexit'

Drinks giant Diageo is to cut more than 100 jobs across its Scottish operations because of concerns over Brexit, according to the GMB union.

Diageo's plant at Banbeath, Leven.

Workers were told that 70 redundancies will be made at Diageo’s Leven plant in Fife and a further 35 its Shieldhall site, near Glasgow. Selected white spirits production will be moved to the company’s Santa Vittoria plant in Italy and to plants in the United States.

The GMB said it had warned the UK government’s Scottish Secretary David Mundell earlier this year about the need for special measures to protect Scotland’s drinks manufacturing sector against the backdrop of Brexit uncertainty.

SNP MSP Jenny Gilruth, who represents Leven, said: “This announcement by Diageo will cause great uncertainty and it is concerning that these possible redundancies appear to be down to Brexit.”

In regard to whether this is about Brexit, a Diageo spokesman said: “No. This is a business decision taken for business reasons.

The spokesman added: “We have reviewed our spirits bottling footprint to ensure we not only deliver leading performance but also strengthen our business for the future.

“We are committed to our three spirits bottling sites in Europe - two in Scotland and one in Italy.”