Booming Alex Burghart wins with attack on Labor’s farm tax – POLITICO

Production of hay: Burghart turned to the farmers’ protests that dominated Westminster on Tuesday. Farmers are in open revolt over plans to remove an inheritance tax exemption for some farms worth more than £1 million. Burghart met “elderly men in tears (and) children worried about their parents,” he said, warning that rural livelihoods are “being destroyed.”

Plowing on: Rayner insisted the government is “absolutely committed” to UK farmers and is earmarking money in the budget to help rural life. Burghart said the government’s indifference to the whole row meant they must have thought the farmers were coming to Westminster “to thank” them. He pressed the Deputy Minister on a specific point: Will there be further changes to inheritance tax, agricultural property relief and business property relief in this Parliament?

Agriculture: Rayner refused to rule out adjustments, repeating only Treasury statistics that the vast majority of farms will not be affected by the current plan, that couples can pass on £3m tax-free – and that people over the threshold can pay over a decade.

Watch your wallets: Northern Ireland’s shadow minister hit back, saying it showed Labor is “coming back for more” and cannot be trusted. “The truth is this is a punishment meted out to people who don’t vote Labour,” he claimed – before rattling off other Budget stories including small business owners, pensioners and children in private schools. At times his voice was so loud that the microphone crackled.

Read the room: Burghart appeared to have forgotten the election, Rayner clapped back and pointed to a new move by rural Labor MPs, which used to be held by the Tories. Of course, many of these MPs sit on slim majorities – so could there be a tax-driven Tory comeback next?

Useful backbench intervention of the week: Plymouth Moor View Labor MP Fred Thomas asked about the Government’s £22.6 billion NHS investment and how it would be spread across the country. Rayner was briefed on the plans and insisted they were more generous than the last government’s. Fun it!

Completely unscientific scores on the doors: Rayner 6/10 … Burghart 7/10. The Deputy Prime Minister got off to a strong start, playing the magical Liz Truss card. But it is an attack that will become less effective the longer Labor is in power. She struggled more when pressed on the details of the farm row, and Burghart successfully got her to find out if any further changes needed to be made.