No10 refuses to apologise to farmers regardless of Starmer’s U-turn on tax | Politics | News | EUROtoday

Downing Street has refused to apologise to farmers regardless of final week’s climbdown on inheritance tax.

Labour’s watered-down plans will see the reduction threshold for farmers raised from £1 million to £2.5 million.

This comes after months of protests and warnings over farmers considering suicide to keep away from the taxes as they go their companies from technology to technology.

But the Prime Minister’s spokesman on Monday declined to say “sorry” to meals growers.

When requested whether or not Sir Keir Starmer was sorry, the PM’s spokesman stated: “On the point about farmers taking their own lives, this is clearly a highly sensitive issue. Our thoughts are with any family affected and it would be inappropriate to discuss individual cases but, of course, the Government takes mental health support for farmers extremely seriously.”

When pressed on whether or not Sir Keir would apologise for the anguish induced, he added: “I think I’ve just said on the particularly sensitive issues our thoughts are with any family affected but we have listened to the community. These changes strike the right balance between supporting rural communities and maintaining fiscal responsibility.”

It was put to him one final time on whether or not the PM would apologise however none was supplied.

Jonathan Charlesworth, who discovered his father John Philip Charlesworth useless in a barn on their farm in Silkstone, Barnsley, welcomed the U-turn final week however warned it “won’t bring back the lives lost over the last year or so due to the anxiety caused, but will hopefully prevent a flood of suicides running up to the commencement in April.”

No10 additionally denied making an attempt to bury the U-turn by altering inheritance tax coverage through the Christmas week, and stated the transfer got here after “open dialogue” with the farming sector.

Asked whether or not the December 23 announcement was chosen to quash information of a climbdown, the Prime Minister’s official spokesman stated: “This decision was taken after careful consideration and engagement with the farming community and family businesses.

“And listening and responding to concerns is a sign of good government, not weakness.”
He later added: “We’re confident we’ve struck the right balance between supporting rural communities and maintaining fiscal responsibility.”

The larger inheritance tax threshold, which can take impact in April, will enable spouses or civil companions to go on as much as £5 million in qualifying agricultural or enterprise belongings between them earlier than paying inheritance tax – on high of present allowances, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) stated.

Above that allowance, farmers will get 50% reduction on qualifying belongings and can pay a lowered efficient charge of as much as 20%, reasonably than the usual 40%.

Farmers at the moment don’t pay inheritance tax on agricultural and enterprise belongings which they go on.

Under Labour’s preliminary proposal, the total 100% reduction was to be restricted to the primary £1 million of property.

The Daily Express had campaigned for a U-turn via the Save Britain’s Family Farms campaign.

Mo Metcalf-Fisher, of the Countryside Alliance, stated: “It’s going to take an enormous quantity to rebuild the federal government’s relationship with the countryside and that begins with understanding the ache it’s induced, studying from it and legislating for rural communities, not in opposition to them”

Emma Mosey, chair of the Farm Retail Association, stated: “The revisions announced by the government are a positive step in the right direction and provide a much-needed lifeline for the family farms that underpin our industry.

“However, it is a great shame that it has taken 14 months for the government to listen to the experts and the people on the ground.

“This period of uncertainty has caused significant anxiety for our members and has undoubtedly hindered the growth and succession planning of many rural

businesses.

“While we are relieved that common sense has finally prevailed, this move will not fully heal the damage done to the trust between the government and the farming community over the last year.”