Tory demand resignation of Environment Secretary over farmer suicides | Politics | News | EUROtoday

Top Tory Victoria Atkins has referred to as on her Labour reverse quantity Steve Reed to resign from the Cabinet following extra reviews of farmer suicides. The showdown got here within the Commons this morning, as Ms Atkins recounted but extra reviews of the horrible fallout from Labour’s household farms tax.

Taking to her toes, the Tories’ shadow Environment, Food and Rural Affairs secretary identified what number of farmers at the moment producing the nation’s meals are the descendants of those that saved the nation fed whereas at warfare with Germany 80 years in the past. She contrasted this with the federal government’s heartless angle to rural communities, now feeling the tough actuality of Labour’s tractor tax. Ms Atkins blasted: “Before Christmas, I warned the Secretary of State that a farmer had taken their own life because they were so worried about the family farms tax.”

“He responded with anger, and later stopped the Farming Resilience Fund which helped farmers with mental ill-health.

“This week I have received the devastating news that several more farmers have taken their own lives because of the family farm tax.

“This is the Secretary of State’s legacy. But he can change it, because it is not yet law.”

She demanded that Mr Reed set out these tragedies to the Prime Minister in an effort to power a reversal of the devastating tax, however referred to as that he supply his resignation if he couldn’t safe a U-turn from Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves.

Last week, the Daily Express revealed that one tearful farmer has instructed Ms Atkins: “If there was a rope in the corner of this room, I would use it.”

Farmers dealing with an enormous inheritance tax hike from April subsequent 12 months are being pushed to the horrible conclusion that ending their lives now could be value it to avoid wasting their farm and their youngsters from the massive inheritance tax implications.

Gareth Wyn Jones – whose household have farmed for greater than three centuries in North Wales – described the plight of farmers as “devastating”.

He warned: “I have never ever been in a situation where we have had so many people in dire straits…. We’re on our knees and there’s this constant barrage of red tape and more taxes, more problems.”

Responding to Ms Atkins’ name for him to resign from the Cabinet, Labour’s Steve Reed condemned her for making social gathering political factors out of the tragedy.

He fumed: “Can I express my regret that [she] would seek to politicise personal tragedy in this way, I think it’s immensely regrettable she would seek to do that.”

“None of us can know for sure what happens in matters of personal tragedy. But I think it’s beneath her to try and weaponise it in the way she has done.”

He insisted the Government is taking farmers’ psychological well being significantly, and is rolling out psychological well being hubs in “every community, so we can make sure we support farmers and others who are suffering from mental health.”