Leaders of nine of Britain's largest supermarket chains have issued a joint appeal to Chancellor Rachel Reeves, urging her to exclude shops from the proposed business rates surtax, warning that the measure could push food prices higher and prolong inflation into 2026.
The call, coordinated by the British Retail Consortium (BRC), comes ahead of next month's Autumn Budget and highlights mounting tensions between the retail sector and the government over rising tax and regulatory costs.
