MPs’ views on the Cut Tourism VAT campaign make this the government’s business

The news that 60 MPs have joined the chorus of people in favour of cutting VAT for the hospitality industry is great news for hoteliers across the country. Previously, those doing the lobbying were confined to whatever news coverage they could muster from the national press, hoping that someone with sufficient power to make any changes was reading the column inches. But now, the involvement of MPs in the cause should bring it to the attention of senior government figures.

Of course, no-one expects the lumbering machinations of parliament and Whitehall to suddenly gain efficiency and deal with the problem this year, or even next, but at the very least the pros and cons can now be weighed up. The pros, aside from the obvious saving to hoteliers, of reducing VAT from the statutory 20% to just 5% for hospitality businesses, include inadvertently creating thousands of jobs and adding hundreds of millions to Britain’s GDP.

Not to be sneered at, even if you’re a minister who is broadly uninterested in this sector. Traction is gaining in other ways too, thanks to the Sun’s parallel campaign. In a sense, the industry has not been able to champion its own cause with such a loud voice at any time in recent years. Let’s hope George Osborne is listening.