Reform UK spokesperson Ann Widdecombe has launched a scathing attack on Labour's "arrogant" stance regarding inheritance tax changes affecting farmers, demanding an immediate U-turn on the policy.
Speaking to GB News, the former Conservative minister criticised the Government's approach to agricultural policy reforms set to take effect in April 2026.
"I think the government seriously needs to rethink. I think they should U-turn on it," Widdecombe said.
She accused the Government of acting with impunity due to their parliamentary majority, stating: "They've got a majority that enables them to do anything they like, and at the moment the new MPs aren't really prepared to rebel."
Widdecombe warned that such behaviour wouldn't continue unchallenged, adding: "People will be saying, well, don't just assume that you're God almighty."
Widdecombe highlighted how farmers have faced prolonged challenges, telling GB News: "I always resist describing stress as a mental health issue, but farmers have been stressed for years and they've had a raw deal for years."
She described the inheritance tax changes as "the straw that will break the camel's back."
The Bishop of St Albans, Rt Rev Alan Smith, revealed that some farmers feel "we're not wanted and we're worth more dead than we are alive."
The Bishop of St Albans, who serves as president of the Rural Coalition and comes from a farming family, has highlighted the severe mental health crisis facing the agricultural sector.
"There is nevertheless a huge level of mental stress on our farmers and that's a phenomenon that has been true for many, many years," he told Westminster peers.
He pointed to an "extraordinarily high number of suicides" within the farming community.
The changes to inheritance tax are set to take effect in April 2026.
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS:
Widdecombe dismissed suggestions that Labour's inheritance tax changes were financially motivated.
"I can't see that Labour are doing it for the money. I mean, a measly half a billion, that's just a very tiny, tiny, tiny fraction of 1 per cent of GDP. It's pathetic," she told GB News.
Instead, she argued the motivation was ideological, stating: "It won't be for the money. It's because they don't like inheritance."
Liberal Democrat peer Baroness Northover shared a similar account from a Cornish farmer's family, where an 87-year-old mother believed she would be "better off dying before the change comes into effect."
Former Coalition minister Lady Northover expressed shock that Chancellor Rachel Reeves had declined to meet with the National Farmers Union.
"If she is so sure of what she's doing, she should have that confidence," Lady Northover said.
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Speaking to GB News, the former Conservative minister criticised the Government's approach to agricultural policy reforms set to take effect in April 2026.
"I think the government seriously needs to rethink. I think they should U-turn on it," Widdecombe said.
She accused the Government of acting with impunity due to their parliamentary majority, stating: "They've got a majority that enables them to do anything they like, and at the moment the new MPs aren't really prepared to rebel."
Widdecombe warned that such behaviour wouldn't continue unchallenged, adding: "People will be saying, well, don't just assume that you're God almighty."
Widdecombe highlighted how farmers have faced prolonged challenges, telling GB News: "I always resist describing stress as a mental health issue, but farmers have been stressed for years and they've had a raw deal for years."
She described the inheritance tax changes as "the straw that will break the camel's back."
The Bishop of St Albans, Rt Rev Alan Smith, revealed that some farmers feel "we're not wanted and we're worth more dead than we are alive."
The Bishop of St Albans, who serves as president of the Rural Coalition and comes from a farming family, has highlighted the severe mental health crisis facing the agricultural sector.
"There is nevertheless a huge level of mental stress on our farmers and that's a phenomenon that has been true for many, many years," he told Westminster peers.
He pointed to an "extraordinarily high number of suicides" within the farming community.
The changes to inheritance tax are set to take effect in April 2026.
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Widdecombe dismissed suggestions that Labour's inheritance tax changes were financially motivated.
"I can't see that Labour are doing it for the money. I mean, a measly half a billion, that's just a very tiny, tiny, tiny fraction of 1 per cent of GDP. It's pathetic," she told GB News.
Instead, she argued the motivation was ideological, stating: "It won't be for the money. It's because they don't like inheritance."
Liberal Democrat peer Baroness Northover shared a similar account from a Cornish farmer's family, where an 87-year-old mother believed she would be "better off dying before the change comes into effect."
Former Coalition minister Lady Northover expressed shock that Chancellor Rachel Reeves had declined to meet with the National Farmers Union.
"If she is so sure of what she's doing, she should have that confidence," Lady Northover said.
Find Out More...