London could have new bridges for free – but we’re funding Nimbys and woke charities instead July 31, 2025 The City Bridge Foundation is an ancient fund with deep pockets whose specific purpose is to build and maintain London’s bridges – so why is it paying for woke charities and indirectly giving money to Nimby groups? Asks John Murphy “Politics is all about trade-offs,” we’re told. “You can’t please everyone,” says the wizened old [...]
Could a tourist tax ever work in London? July 24, 2025 Maybe it’s because I’m a Londoner, but I reckon there are few better tourist destinations. Our city is bursting with history and culture, boasts dozens of plush green spaces and has more Michelin Stars than New York. Should people pay to get in? Ours is one of the top cities on earth to visit, but [...]
Tourists help boost luxury London hotels despite widening losses July 23, 2025 Losses have widened at a luxury London hotels group despite international tourism helping to boost its sales to a new record. Firmdale Hotels, which was founded by Tim and Kit Kemp, has fallen to a pre-tax loss of £30.4m for its year to 31 January, 2025, new accounts filed with Companies House show. The total [...]
Angela Rayner pushes for new tourist tax to fix black hole July 22, 2025 Deputy prime minister Angela Rayner is pushing Chancellor Rachel Reeves to give more power to councils to tax tourists amid worries that local governments are struggling to keep finances in check. Rayner has suggested that councils should be able to tax tourist hotel stays and take advantage of a rise in visitors, rather than taxing [...]
Costly departures: Why an exit tax looks more likely than a wealth tax July 22, 2025 Tax experts have been queuing up to warn that a blanket tax on wealth is both unlikely and unfeasible. But as ministers insist the government will avoid tax hikes targeting average earners, could it turn to an exit tax to plug the gap? As reams of impressed tourists shuffled their way through the opulent surroundings [...]
Driving a Ferrari Purosangue through sleepy St Mawes, Cornwall June 27, 2025 Ah, Cornwall, the second home capital of England. Of course, the locals loathe the incoming hoards from West London and the home counties, breezing in for a few sunny weeks of the year with their 4x4s, yoga mats and Big Green Egg barbecues. Following the G7 summit held in Carbis Bay in 2021, an especially [...]
Inside the Caribbean island that’s becoming a secret AI hub June 20, 2025 Anguilla is where high-rolling lawyers from New York go to work remotely in tranquillity. It is also becoming an unlikely world-leading beacon for AI due to one lucky coincidence. Adam Bloodworth went in search of answers The Sunset Bar on St Maarten’s Maho Beach is one of the weirdest tourist attractions in the world. Go [...]
London to lose out on major local growth funding in Spending Review June 10, 2025 The London Mayor has doubled down on his crusade against the terms mandated by the Treasury’s Spending Review amid concerns over losing access to local growth funds. London and other English regions could lose access to the £2.6bn UK Shared Prosperity Fund, Growth Hub Funding, and the £4.8bn Levelling-Up Fund. A source close to the [...]
UK to miss out on tourism boom due to ‘layer upon layer’ of taxes June 4, 2025 UK tourism is at risk of suffering a decline as visitors are deciding against going to Britain due to the Treasury’s stringent tax policies, a key industry official has said, in the latest sign of the toll tax hikes are taking. Julia Simpson, the former British Airways chief who now heads up the World Travel [...]
Tourist tax: Lisa Nandy says Labour may ‘explore’ restoring VAT free shopping April 16, 2025 Lisa Nandy has said the government “could explore” restoring VAT free shopping after hearing “very loud and clear” the calls from the industry to scrap the so-called tourist tax. The culture, media and sport secretary told Elle UK magazine that fashion was in the “soul of the nation” and ministers recognised its “centrality” to the [...]