This week's opinion: 28 November 2024

A question for you. Who said this about what farmers affected by the proposed changes to agricultural property relief should do? There are things that they can do to plan their tax affairs as most business or asset owners would do to limit their liability.

Was it a CIOT spokesman? The president of the National Farmers’ Union? Jeremy Clarkson? Actually it was none of these. It was Steve Reed – secretary of state for the environment. Not a shadow minister but a member of the government.

I really don’t know what to make of this. It is a very odd thing for a cabinet minister to say about a controversial tax policy. It does seem to suggest that there are government approved ways to avoid the charge. I dare say that Mr Reed was only thinking about straightforward measures like passing the farm down the generations earlier rather than later in...