SCOTCH whisky is “very high” up the list of agreements being negotiated with the US, according to newly anointed Scottish Secretary Douglas Alexander.

The assurances came just days after First Minister John Swinney returned from a visit to the Oval Office to press the case for the 10 per cent tariff levied on imports of Scotch whisky to be watered down or lifted altogether.

Speaking at the time, Mr Swinney said: “We did not conclude a deal — that work rests with the United Kingdom government,” but added that he had “worked hard to create a platform for the UK government to negotiate and to deliver on Scotch whisky.”

Speaking on BBC Radio Scotland ahead of Mr Trump’s state visit next week, Mr Alexander said: “We are negotiating hard for the United Kingdom, and I can assure listeners to Good Morning Scotland that the Scotch whisky industry is very high up that list.”

But accusing Mr Swinney of “playing politics” on the issue, he added: “When he said that he had put whisky on the agenda, with great respect, we’d already done a deal with India, where whisky was a central feature.

“We’ve had negotiators on the ground in Washington every day this week, and because we’ve shared that information with him, he’s fully aware that long before John Swinney arrived in the Oval Office, we were talking with and engaging with the US administration on the issue of whisky.

“So I welcome the fact that John was in Washington. Frankly, if we have divisions at home, we will be less influential abroad.

“But the reality is, we shouldn’t be playing politics with people’s jobs and the prospects of the Scotch whisky industry.”