Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves set out a multi-faceted package on Thursday in the House of Commons intended to lower day-to-day costs for households and shore up strategic industries amid pressures linked to the Middle East conflict.
Household measures
From June 25 to September 1, VAT on tickets for summer attractions will be cut from 20% to 5%, Reeves announced. The reduction will apply to adult and children’s admission for fairs, theme parks, zoos and museums, and will extend to children’s meals in restaurants and cafes, children’s cinema tickets, concerts, soft play and theatre tickets.
On transport, the Chancellor confirmed that fuel duty will not rise this year, maintaining the current 5p cut. Bus travel in England will be free for children aged 5 to 15 throughout August, and the existing £3 bus fare cap has been extended to March 2027.
Food prices and supermarket measures
The government will suspend tariffs on more than 100 foods sold in supermarkets, and Reeves said she expects supermarkets to pass the savings on to consumers in full. To deter profiteering, new powers will be introduced to allow the Competition and Markets Authority and other regulators to take action against companies judged to be exploiting the situation to make excess profits.
Support for businesses and industry
Targeted funds were announced for key sectors. A £350 million Critical Chemicals Resilience Fund is being established to support strategically important producers, and a separate £120 million fund will be available to the ceramics sector to boost efficiency and reduce energy costs. Hauliers will benefit from a 12-month road tax holiday for heavy goods vehicles, with savings of up to £912 per HGV. Duty on red diesel will be cut by over a third until year end to assist farmers and the rail freight industry. Tax-free mileage rates will rise by 10p per mile, with the increase backdated to April 2026.
Revenue measures and taxation changes
The government will reform the taxation of foreign branch profits, with a focus on oil and gas companies that currently pay little or no Corporation Tax on UK energy trading profits routed through overseas operations. The changes are expected to raise hundreds of millions of pounds each year and are intended to help fund the measures announced.
Economic context cited by the government
The Chancellor cited Office for National Statistics figures showing that Britain’s economy grew by 0.6% in the first quarter, noted as the fastest rate in the G7. The ONS data also showed that inflation fell in April, making the UK the only G7 economy where inflation declined in that month. Additionally, government borrowing last year was reported as £20 billion lower than the previous year.
What this means
The package combines short-term relief for consumer-facing sectors such as leisure, hospitality and transport with industry-specific support and revenue changes aimed at larger corporate structures in the oil and gas sector. Several measures are time-limited, and the government has signalled regulatory action to limit potential excess profits as part of the approach.