Show must go on by bringing back tax-free shopping

Come Friday, whoever is in No 11, there’s one thing to agree on: Britain needs growth and greater foreign investment. One piece of the puzzle lies in the entertainment business. If our new chancellor is kind to theatre and tourism, those joint national power houses can bring us more than a little of both.

In 2022 we enjoyed 16.4 million theatre visits, about a third by tourists. In simple terms, people come here and want to spend money. It’s good for theatre, for restaurants and our retail industry, and it makes sense to do everything we can to help them do that.

Think about how we behave on holiday: last year, we spent €1 billion on EU tax-free shopping. So it was welcome news when,