Ross Lydall City Hall Editor

INTERNATIONAL tourists in London should receive a 20 per cent VAT refund on the cost of their shopping, Tory mayoral candidate Susan Hall said today.

- Ross Lydall

She has written to Chancellor Jeremy Hunt to urge the so-called "tourist tax" to be scrapped, saying - in rare criticism of the Tory Government that the policy was "not in the best interest for London".

The Standard has been campaigning for the reintroduction of VAT-free shopping for tourists, which was scrapped in 2021 by Rishi Sunak, the then chancellor, when Britain left the EU.

Ms Hall believes restoring the tax perk would boost the economy by £10.7 billion and put London back on an even keel with other world cities, where taxfree shopping is offered to tourists.