Labour peer condemns own party as 'cruel' over farm tax

One of its own peers has hit out at Labour, warning it is "almost becoming the cruel party" as anger over the "tractor tax" mounts.

- KATE DEVLIN

The chancellor Rachel Reeves is facing a revolt in rural England over her decision to extend inheritance tax to family farms.

Thousands of farmers brought Westminster to a standstill on Tuesday when they descended on the capital to voice their opposition to the changes. Baroness Mallalieu, who is president of the Countryside Alliance and who joined farmers on the march, has now warned her government that it is losing the trust of rural communities.

And, in an echo of a phrase Theresa May once infamously used to describe the Tories (“the nasty party”), Lady Mallalieu said: “We are almost becoming the cruel party.” She added: “It has taken the Labour Party 14 years to win back the trust of the countryside after that last attack on hunting.