Tesco has become the first retailer to cover the cost of VAT on its range of period underwear, as part of the latest industry push calling on the government to scrap the tax and reclassify the pants as tax-exempt period products.

The supermarket will implement a 20% reduction - the price of VAT - across all eight lines of its F&F period pants from today in a bid to make them more affordable to customers, Retail Gazette has reported

A pack of three pants will be reduced from £18 to £14.40 while a single pair will now cost £6 instead of £7.50.

The move comes after Tesco joined the Say Pants To The Tax campaign, led by M&S and period underwear brand Wuka, urging the government to reclassify period pants as a period product so they can be exempt from VAT. They are currently labelled as garments.

The supermarket was the first retailer to cover the cost of VAT on nearly 100 own-label and branded tampons and sanitary products in 2017, ahead of the government's decision to remove the VAT in 2021.

Christine Heffernan, Tesco Group communications director, said: "We know that the cost of buying essential period products can be a real struggle for many people.

"And we want to do our bit to help by covering the cost of VAT on period pants, helping to make this more sustainable option more affordable for customers.

"We were the first retailer to cover the cost of VAT on period products in 2017 and we're proud to be helping customers again by covering the cost of VAT on period pants now, to make them more affordable".