Swann Presses Starmer on Family Farm Tax

South Antrim MP Robin Swann has urged Prime Minister Keir Starmer to change course on the Family Farm Inheritance Tax.

During Prime Minister’s Questions today, Mr Swann asked the PM:

“I’m joined today in the Gallery by the leadership of the Young Farmers’ Clubs of Ulster, an organisation of young people who are passionate about youth work, passionate about the rural countryside and passionate about the future of farming and agriculture.

“Agriculture policy is devolved, but the Prime Minister’s agricultural inheritance tax is the thing that has them and young farmers across all the country despairing not just for their future, but the future of food security.

“When will the Prime Minister change course on the farm family inheritance tax now that he’s taking control of tax policy?”

In his response, the Prime Minister welcomed the Young Farmers’ Clubs of Ulster to Parliament. Mr Swann has hosted the leadership of the YFCU in Westminster for two days of engagements this week with senior Ministers, Shadow Ministers, MPs and Lords.

Mr Starmer went on to say:

“Can I take this opportunity to say to him and to the Young Farmers’ Clubs of Ulster that we’ve invested more than £2.7billion in farming and nature recovery. That’s been welcomed and of course we’re developing a 25-year farming roadmap to make the sector more profitable again.

“That has been warmly welcomed, and their future will depend on that roadmap, and we’ll work with them.”

Following this response, Mr Swann commented:

“I am disappointed that the government continues to pursue this incredibly harmful policy which has the potential to devastate far too many farms across Northern Ireland and put our agri-food sector in jeopardy.

“I’ll continue to push for this tax to be scrapped ahead of the new budget in November, and I hope the government act before this tax comes into effect next year.”