Welsh prime minister tells farmers ‘Keep calm’ ahead of inheritance tax protest

Wales’ First Minister for Labor tells farmers about their concerns inheritance tax changes To “calm down”.

Eluned Morgan claimed initial calculations showed only a “small proportion” of farms would be affected by the tax changes, and that number was still being assessed.

In accordance with the policy announced by Rachel Reeves last month’s budgetNot all farms can be transferred free of inheritance tax, meaning a new 20 per cent tax will apply to farming assets worth more than £1 million.

Baroness Morgan’s comments come ahead of a planned tractor protest over the changes outside the party’s conference in Wales on Saturday.

During a BBC Radio 5 Live phone call, marking 100 days of being in charge of the Labour-run Welsh Government, he said: “I think we need to take some calm until we have clarity on how many farms will be affected.”

His statements created excitement Anger among farmers and politicians who accused him of being “out of touch.”

‘Bossiness’ and ‘lack of basic empathy’

Plaid Cymru’s Cefin Campbell said farmers “I’m rightfully worried About the impact of the Labor Budget on them. Are you telling them to calm down? Really? How much further away from contact can you go?

Mr Campbell said the Prime Minister should “demand the UK Labor government to repeal changes to inheritance tax and provide fair funding for agriculture”.

Andrew RT Davies, Conservative leader of the Welsh Senedd, said the First Minister’s comments “show how little the Labor Welsh government understands rural society”.

“This new death tax could mean the end of family farms,” he warned, adding: “This decision needs to be reversed because no farmers means no food.”

The National Farmers Union said the First Minister’s comments angered its members.

NFU Cymru president Aled Jones said: “It is very difficult for farming families to remain calm when their very existence and future is at stake.

“It is deeply disturbing that those who are likely to be seriously affected by these changes are being told to ‘wait until the figures are clear’, and the fact remains that this work should have been carried out well in advance of the budget announcements. .”

Mo Metcalf-Fisher, director of external affairs at the Rural Alliance, said: “Talk about misjudging the public mood.

“These arrogant comments show that the First Minister lacks basic empathy for the people who feed us and protect our countryside despite the many obstacles in their way.

“Perhaps the Government should prioritize clarifying exactly how many farms will be affected by this appalling family farm tax, rather than telling farmers how to behave. “This is increasingly turning into a political and public relations crisis.”

‘Farmers are already victimized’

Farmers say tractorsClose all roads in England”If the Government does not water down its inheritance tax policy.

Hundreds of people will blockade the Welsh Labor Conference in Llandudno on Saturday, with many expected to bring tractors, manure spreaders and other equipment into the town.

Thousands of people will also descend on Parliament Square on Tuesday, with organizers warning that more militant groups will take direct action if ministers do not listen to farmers’ demands.