Conservative councillors urge Steve Reed to back down over IHT 

Following the recent tractor protest in Oxford, Conservative leader for Oxfordshire County Council, Eddie Reeves, urged Defra secretary Steve Reed to change course on the family farm tax.

Councillor Reeves, who attended the protest, said: “The reason for Conservative councillors protesting the secretary of state is straightforward. 

“We represent rural communities and, with respect, we do not think that he understands the magnitude of what he is doing.

“Since his promotion to Defra, Rt. Hon. Steve Reed MP has visited only one farm as far as we know.”

Around 100 tractors lined the street where Mr Reed gave his opening address at the Oxford Farming Conference last week. 

Cllr Reeves said: “Since [Steve Reed] plans on coming to Oxford to discuss environmental policy, we thought that we should gather together, standing shoulder to shoulder with the people who feed us and who steward our countryside, and ask him and the chancellor of the exchequer to rethink their disastrous changes to inheritance tax.” 

READ MORE: What did Steve Reed announce at the Oxford Farming Conference?

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Devastating impact 

The Conservative councillor has worked as a solicitor in rural practices, and said it is “blindingly obvious” that the family farm tax will have a devastating impact on Oxfordshire’s farms.

In fact, he believes the NFU’s estimate that three in four commercial family farms could be affected is a conservative figure for the county.

“Farms closing means less food security for our nation and diminished rural communities for our county. 

“The government’s changes to APR and BPR are also negligible in fiscal terms, meaning there is considerable headroom for the government to change course. 

“I sincerely hope that the chancellor and the secretary of state will now listen and change course,” he concludes. 

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