The UK Government’s proposed changes to inheritance tax for farmers are a betrayal of rural Monmouthshire. They will kill off family farms, make the UK more dependent on imported food and cause massive environmental damage, harming the guardians of our rural county.

Under the new rules, 100% relief will apply only to the first £2.5 million of qualifying agricultural property. Farmers are different to any other profession because they can’t farm without an asset – the land. On paper it might seem thar farmers are asset rich, but the reality is that profit margins are wafer-thin and many farmers are hanging on in there by their finger-tips. Keir Starmer claims these changes will only affect the largest estates, but that just isn’t the case. In Monmouthshire, where land values have soared, many family farms will breach this threshold through no fault of their own. These are not corporate agribusinesses; they are multi-generational family businesses, rooted in sustainability and guardianship of their community.

The consequences will be devastating. Families who have farmed for centuries will be forced to sell land to meet these punitive tax bills. That means breaking up family farms, the loss of local jobs and a countryside increasingly vulnerable to speculative development. It is not just a blow to farmers — but to every resident who values the green landscapes and local food security that these farms provide.

What farmers have found particularly hurtful is the betrayal of our local MP, Catherine Fookes, who ahead of the general election said rural communities were safe in Labour’s hands. She claims to have ‘lobbied for changes’ to the inheritance tax plans, but has been unable to produce any evidence of lobbying senior colleagues. When faced with the choice, she voted for this policy. Only one Labour MP stood up for the farming community in their own constituency, sending a message to Keir Starmer and the government that the policy was wrong and needed changing. That MP was suspended from the Labour Party for not being loyal to the party whip.

What makes this worse is that Catherine Fookes is in a senior position in Downing Street as Keir Starmer’s Parliamentary Private Secretary. This is a gatekeeper role meaning she has unrivalled access to 10 Downing Street and the Prime Minister himself.

I want Monmouthshire farmers to know that we stand with you. We will continue to support you to fight these harmful plans, which threaten our rural county, food security and our way of life.