Badenoch Faces U-Turn Criticism Over Tourist VAT Refund Pledge

Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch has pledged to reinstate a VAT refund scheme for international tourists that she personally scrapped as a Treasury minister in 2020, The Guardian reported.

The Conservatives said ending the scheme in 2021 had left the UK less competitive than other European destinations, while critics accused Badenoch of a reversal, according to the newspaper's live politics coverage.

The government said visitors can still claim VAT relief on items shipped directly abroad and that it aims to attract 50 million international visitors annually by 2030, The Guardian reported.