04.25.23

There are few issues on which Labour, the Liberal Democrats and nearly all Conservatives are in passionate unison. The folly of axing VAT-free shopping for tourists is one.Such disparate political figures as ex-PM Liz Truss, London mayor Sadiq Khan and Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey are backing the Mail’s campaign to reverse this perverse and damaging decision.

And at a testy meeting in London yesterday, Burberry chief Gerry Murphy waded into the fray. Confronting Rishi Sunak, he described the VAT extension as ‘a spectacular own goal’.

Other European tourist destinations offer duty-free shopping, he said, placing British retailers at a heavy disadvantage – especially those at the luxury end.Hotels, airlines, hospitality and entertainment venues will lose out as foreign visitors looking for bargains choose Paris, Milan or Madrid over British cities.

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