Labour has done exactly what it promised it would not do - it is introducing a tourism tax. This comes after the attack on businesses last year, which hammered tourism and hospitality so severely that 90,000 jobs have already been lost in the sector.

That's 55% of all job losses since the last Budget. Businesses are operating at a loss, cutting hours, restricting opening times and slashing investment. A sector already in crisis cannot afford this Labour Government any longer.

Recent coverage of the tourism tax on overnight stays has focused heavily on London Mayor Sadiq Khan's jubilation at taking more of other people's money to spend on his pet projects. In smaller places with struggling high streets and seasonal tourism, the impact will be devastating.

Visit England reports that overnight visitor numbers were down 18% in April to June of this year. And this is the time the Chancellor chose to tax the industry further.

If you tax something, you get less of it. For many English holiday destinations, like the Isle of Wight, this could be the final blow.

Job losses, shops boarded up, young people losing out on summer job opportunities, higher tax on part-time work, and local businesses closing during the off-season. A policy that makes sense to metropolitan people in Whitehall will be ruinous for local high streets and coastal communities.

At a time when people feel poorer and businesses are barely keeping the lights on, Labour's solution is yet another cost. When British families consider whether to take a weekend in the UK or a package deal to Spain, Labour is pushing them towards the departure lounge. For some hardworking families, it will be the end of the family holiday altogether.

Tourists in Britain already pay some of the highest taxes in Europe. A three-night stay in London under the new tax proposals could cost up to £199 in taxes alone, far above comparable European cities like Rome, Paris, Barcelona or Berlin at roughly £90 each. This is not competitive - it is self-sabotage.

Labour insists that regional leaders have been calling for this power. Yet Conservative mayors are already coming out against it. Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen has ruled out taking a penny off tourists with this tax.

The Government must be honest about the additional burden this could create for small businesses. From family-run B&Bs to small hotels and self-catering holiday rentals, thousands of operators may now have to handle new paperwork, new billing systems, and more red tape.

For major chains with dedicated compliance teams, that's manageable. For two-person operations in my constituency, it's exhausting, expensive and demoralising. For some, it spells the end.

When the Government should be creating a plan to resuscitate our dying seaside towns, they are dishing out the final blow.