A group of 40 rural Labour MPs has descended on the Treasury this afternoon for a standoff with Rachel Reeves over the Government’s family farm tax raids.
The MPs, dubbed the “rural growth group”, have penned a joint letter to the Chancellor to raise their concerns, which calls for the £1million threshold on Labour’s 20 per cent inheritance levy to be raised to protect smaller family farms.
The MPs have also demanded an “amnesty” for older or ill farmers, according to The Times, while several are threatening to “go public” if they do not get what they want in today’s meeting with Treasury Minister James Murray.
One MP told the newspaper: “Our message will be: ‘If you’re not going to let us challenge you through the channels that exist for loyal backbenchers then we’re going to show our muscle.’
The MPs, dubbed the “rural growth group”, have penned a joint letter to the Chancellor to raise their concerns
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They continued: “There’s one last chance to put this right before things blow up. At the moment, we’re just met with a wall of arrogance.”
Most of the MPs pushing for change are in a mass WhatsApp group – and have already met Treasury Ministers on several occasions.
One of them is Mid & South Pembrokeshire MP Henry Tufnell, who decried how “we had said categorically as a party that there wouldn’t be any movement on inheritance tax”.
“I stood on the platform where I said directly to farmers in my constituency that it was something that we weren’t going to pursue as a party. It’s embarrassing to say you’re going to do one thing and then do another,” he added.
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Henry Tufnell sat down with Christopher HopeGB NEWSAnother MP in the group said: “We are loyal and new. On most things, we support the Government.
“But this meeting is a crunch moment. Either we get a moment where we work with the Government or we’re going to be unhelpful and rebellious.”
But a senior Labour source has hit back, telling The Times: “These MPs might want to look back at their campaign leaflets and remind themselves they were elected on Keir’s mandate of fiscal stability and more money in the pockets of working people, not their personal brand.”
It comes as Welsh First Minister Eluned Morgan, meanwhile, said the Welsh government recognises the “anxiety” the changes are causing, and that it was up to the UK government to defend the policy.
First Minister of Wales, Eluned Morgan said the Welsh government recognises the “anxiety” the changes are causing
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A government spokesperson previously said: “Our reform to Agricultural and Business Property Reliefs will mean three quarters of estates will continue to pay no inheritance tax at all, while the remaining quarter will pay half the inheritance tax that most people pay, and payments can be spread over 10 years, interest-free.
“This is a fair and balanced approach which helps fix the public services we all rely on.”