An MP who survived skin cancer as a teenager is canvassing cross-party support for her campaign to remove VAT from sunscreen products.
Amy Callaghan is calling on the UK government to remove the tax from products that have a health benefit – the NHS considers factor 30 or above with a four-star UVA rating to be adequate skin protection.
The Scottish National party MP, who memorably ousted the former Liberal Democrat leader Jo Swinson when she won East Dunbartonshire in the 2019 general election, had surgery on her face to remove cancerous skin at 19.
With climate breakdown and the cost of living having a significant impact on sunscreen use, Callaghan argues it should not be taxed like any other luxury product.
“Melanoma is a killer,” she says, noting that 16,000 new cases of the skin cancer type are diagnosed each year across the UK, with 2,300 people dying from the disease.
Callaghan also underlines the need to tackle Scotland’s “taps-aff” attitude to sunshine, saying: “We don’t have the sunscreen habit in the UK and part of this campaign is about raising awareness akin to the Australian ‘slip, slop, slap’ campaign.”
The “slip [on a T-shirt], slop [on some sunscreen], slap [on a hat]” slogan has been credited with transforming Australian attitudes to sun safety in recent decades.
“With changing climate we need to be realistic that we can get sunburnt at home, not just when we go abroad on holiday,” adds Callaghan.
She also says that some beauty brands claim to include sunscreen in their products, but offer much lower protections than the requisite factor 30.
“The beauty industry has a huge part to play in changing attitudes,” Callaghan says.
Tesco and Superdrug have already removed VAT from their own-brand sunscreens, while Morrisons has signed up to Callaghan’s pledge, which asks retailers to commit to passing on the VAT reduction to consumers, should she be successful.
While Callaghan has already secured cross-party support for the proposal, she expresses frustration that her efforts have been repeatedly rebuffed by the UK government.
“Every time I’ve raised this with the UK government they have said people should sit in the shade, but that’s only one piece of the puzzle. It goes hand in hand with wearing proper sun protection, and at £8 a bottle that’s completely unaffordable in a cost of living crisis. It’s the first thing that goes when families are struggling.”
Callaghan reveals that in discussions with the Treasury, officials have alluded to a deluge of VAT exemption requests since Brexit. “It’s incredibly frustrating, as someone who didn’t vote for Brexit and represents a constituency that didn’t vote for it, that this is one tiny thing that could make a difference but it’s not happening.”
She will circulate to all MPs a letter to the prime minister when the Commons resumes after recess in her own name and that of Chris Bryant. The letter has already been signed by melanoma patients and survivors, in an attempt to keep pressure on the government before the autumn statement.
