UK. Henry Smith MP, who represents the London Gatwick Airport constituency Crawley in the UK, has secured a House of Commons debate this week where he will call for the Government to introduce duty free shopping on arrival at airports, and international rail and ferry terminals in Great Britain.
The Adjournment Debate will take place as the final item of Commons business on Wednesday 6 September.
A separate House of Commons debate on the reintroduction of VAT-free shopping at UK airports is scheduled for the following day.
Smith said: “As Crawley MP and Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for the Future of Aviation I’m determined to support the aviation, travel and tourism industries as they continue their recovery from the dark days of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We know that some 65 countries have duty free stores in place already. These include in Asia, the Middle East and Oceania, as well as non-EU European nations such as Norway and Switzerland.
“This is an issue of boosting British competitiveness. If passengers can make their duty free purchases when they arrive in Britain they’d be more likely to make such buys at British airports such as Gatwick.”
Speaking to The Moodie Davitt Report, Smith said: “The Adjournment Debate guarantees a response from the HM Treasury Minister on the floor of the House from the dispatch box. Essentially this is about raising awareness, getting the issue on official record and getting a reply from the Government on their position.”
On 19 July, Smith led an approach from 40 parliamentarians with an open letter calling on the Prime Minister to support the aviation industry with measures including the re-introduction of VAT-free shopping and the introduction of arrivals duty free in UK airports.
