“The candidate in Makerfield has pledged to substantially reduce VAT to match European rates.”

The claim that the Makerfield by-election candidate pledged to substantially reduce VAT to match European rates is verified. Andy Burnham, Labour's candidate in the Makerfield by-election (and subsequent winner of the seat), pledged to cut VAT on hospitality from 20% to 10%, which would bring it in line with European rates such as those in France, Spain, and Italy (all at 10%) and Germany (7%). Multiple sources confirm this pledge: - Grocery Gazette (8 June 2026): "The Greater Manchester mayor, who has been selected as Labour's candidate in the Makerfield byelection, has backed industry calls for VAT on hospitality to be cut from 20 per cent to 10 per cent." - Startups.co.uk: "This includes permanently reducing business rates for pubs by 20%, cutting NICs, and slashing VAT from 20% to 10%." - City AM: Notes Burnham's "calls for a cut to VAT for hospitality firms" and that hospitality leaders including Tom Kerridge "thrown their weight behind Burnham ahead of the Makerfield by-election because of his support for a VAT cut." - Morning Advertiser (19 June 2026): "Burnham has also backed calls for hospitality VAT to be cut from 20% to 10%, in line with the #VATsTheProblem campaign spearheaded by chef and pub operator Tom Kerridge." Cutting hospitality VAT from 20% to 10% is indeed a substantial reduction (halving the rate), and 10% matches rates in France, Spain, and Italy. The pledge was specifically about hospitality VAT, consistent with the context of the speech about hospitality taxation. One minor nuance: Burnham later appeared to soften his stance after winning the seat, with his spokesperson telling City AM that the VAT cut was "something we will need to look at in due course." However, at the time of the speech (3 June 2026), the pledge had been clearly made during the by-election campaign. Sources: - Grocery Gazette, "Chefs back Burnham VAT pledge as hospitality pressure mounts," https://www.grocerygazette.co.uk/2026/06/08/chefs-back-burnham-vat/ - Startups.co.uk, "Can Andy Burnham Really Save UK Hospitality? Top Chefs Think So," https://startups.co.uk/news/andy-burnham-hospitality-tax/ - City AM, "Would a £10bn VAT cut really save hospitality?," https://www.cityam.com/would-a-10bn-vat-cut-really-save-hospitality/ - City AM, "Burnham camp goes quiet on hospitality VAT cut," https://www.cityam.com/burnham-camp-goes-quiet-on-hospitality-vat-cut/ - Morning Advertiser, "Burnham win puts hospitality VAT and rates pledges in spotlight," https://www.morningadvertiser.co.uk/Article/2026/06/19/burnham-win-puts-hospitality-vat-and-rates-pledges-in-spotlight/ - UKHospitality, "#VATsTheProblem: Tom Kerridge spearheading new campaign to cut VAT to 10%," https://www.ukhospitality.org.uk/vatstheproblemlaunch/