Farmer Gareth Wyn Jones has hit out at former Labour MP Denis MacShane in a blistering row over the Government’s planned inheritance tax raid, as the ex-minister claimed that the blame “lies with the NFU (National Farmers’ Union)”.
The agricultural community are banding together for their latest protest against the changes proposed by Chancellor Rachel Reeves, gathering in Westminster for their latest demonstration against Labour.
Farmer Gareth Wyn Jones hit out at Denis MacShane’s defence of Labour’s inheritance tax raid
GB News
Debating the tax raid on GB News, former Labour minster Denis MacShane suggested that farmers of the NFU “should have put their foot down” against the Government.
MacShane told the People’s Channel: “The NFU have allowed the city to come in and control too much and turn it into tax avoidance schemes.
“And the NFU should have put their foot down and said we’re not going to allow this to happen, but unfortunately that is part of the difficulty.”
Hitting back at MacShane, farmer Gareth Wyn Jones said he “wishes they could” have discussed the changes with the Government, but they have been “locked out of Downing Street”.
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Jones explained: “I wish we could. We just want a conversation with Government, with the Treasury. We haven’t heard anything, they’ve just locked that door on Number 11.
“Nobody wants to listen to what we’re trying to tell them. Our job, honestly, it’s on its knees. We’re out seven days a week, making sure we can produce food. The profits in our industry is awful and suicide rate and mental health is up.”
Offering his counter argument, MacShane said that “everyone has to pay inheritance tax”, asking “why can’t my grandchildren inherit my wealth?”
MacShane told Jones: “I can’t pass on my inheritance, I have to pay my tax because we all pay tax. We pay our taxes.
Gareth Wyn Jones and Denis MacShane clashed over Labour’s inheritance tax raid
GB News
“We have to pay our might of inheritance tax to provide for the army, the police, the roads. The single biggest farm put together is equivalent to 56 square miles. That’s bigger than all but the biggest four or five cities in Britain.
“It’s been put together to dodge taxes by foreigners. Now you’ve got to tackle that, the NFU didn’t.”
In disagreement with MacShane, Jones fumed: “It’s the Labour Government that’s brought this on, don’t blame the NFU, don’t blame anybody.
“Keir Starmer promised he was going to protect family farms and he’s come in with a bombshell, and it’s going to kill farms.”
