Farmers are set to stage mass protests in the heart of London once again today in reaction to Labour’s “cruel” family farm tax raids.
November 19 saw thousands of farmers arrive on the streets of Westminster – where they were joined by famous faces and politicians calling for the planned inheritance tax hikes to end.
And now, tractors are set to return to the capital for a fresh demo organised by Save British Farming (SBF) and Kent Fairness for Farmers – while other protests are slated for outside the Welsh Senedd and in towns and cities across the country as Britain’s agricultural workers make their voices heard.
SBF founder Liz Webster – whose protests will unfold as PMQs are underway – said the Prime Minister “is pulling the rug from under farmers’ feet, aiming to dismantle British farming as we know it”.
“But farmers are resilient and united in this fight,” she said, comparing the tax raids to the “straw that broke the camel’s back”.
Meanwhile National Farmers’ Union president Tom Bradshaw, whose group is not officially involved today, said: “These events reflect the strong feelings across the agricultural community. We hope they are well-attended and farmers’ voices are heard.”
Early on Wednesday morning, tractors were already on the move as farmers made their way to London – with some sporting slogans decrying “Starmer the farmer harmer” and “Keir Stalinarmer, global laughing stock – stop the death tax”.
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TWENTY-EIGHT Labour ministers have spouses or relatives on party payroll in ‘new aristocracy’ – despite canning hereditary peers
Both Rachel and Ellie Reeves attend Cabinet
PA
An unprecedented 28 Labour ministers have spouses or relatives on the party’s payroll, a new report has shown.
Seven Cabinet members, including the Defence and Business Secretaries, are either related to another minister, a Labour-appointed special adviser or a civil servant.
As part of the first set of so-called “transparency returns” published under Sir Keir Starmer’s administration, the Government has been forced to outline any potential conflicts of interest from around the Cabinet table.
The figure has sparked fury from the Conservatives – under Rishi Sunak, the number stood at 11.
Shadow Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Alex Burghart told The Sun: “Here’s Labour’s new aristocracy laid bare – it’s all who you know or are related to.”
A Labour insider told the newspaper: “People tend to get into Labour politics quite young, and then spend their time hanging out with their Labour comrades so often that it makes sense to marry one.
“For others, the parental or spouse connections can help them get a foot in the door or a leap up the ladder.”
It comes just under a month since MPs voted by an overwhelming margin to oust the remaining hereditary peers from the House of Lords – at the time, Burghart said the party was “seeking to remove established scrutineers in order to replace them with Labour appointees”.
Downing Street says: “To rebuild Britain and deliver the change our country needs will require talent, expertise and creativity. We won’t hesitate to make sure the right people are around the table.”
Rayner to force prisons on Britain’s villages as Labour wages war on ‘Nimby’ councils
Angela Rayner will be handed new powers to force through prisons on green belt land and overrule local authorities as part of Labour’s mass building drive.
Under a new set of laws to breakthrough a “Nimby chokehold” on construction, the Ministry of Justice will be able to bypass councils, who normally have the upper hand on planning applications – even if the proposed buildings will be on green belt land.
MoJ officials will instead submit plans directly to the planning inspectorate, which comes under the remit of Rayner’s housing ministry, which could give them the go-ahead in as little as 16 weeks.
Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood, announcing the new scheme, said: “Part of our plan for change, this capacity strategy, alongside an independent review of sentencing policy, will keep our streets safe and ensure no government runs out of prison places again.”
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