Top Tory Victoria Atkins demanded to know the whereabouts of Rachel Reeves as the Chancellor was nowhere to be seen during a crucial debate on the Government’s latest U-turn. The Tories’ Shadow Farming Secretary nailed the Government after a last-minute announcement before Christmas on the hated family farms tax.

Two days before Christmas, the Government announced it would be doubling the threshold at which farmers will begin paying Agricultural Property Relief, from £1million to £2.5million. While farmers welcomed the announcement as the “best Christmas present”, Opposition politicians have demanded the complete abolition of the policy. Speaking in the Commons on Monday, Ms Atkins noted that the Chancellor was missing in action as the Government was forced to answer uncomfortable questions about its announcement.

Ms Atkins blasted: “What a way to open the new year – with yet another government U-turn.

“But where is the Chancellor of the Exchequer? This is her tax, her U-turn, and she should explain why she didn’t announce this at the Budget.

“This U-turn acknowledges what farmers have been telling the Government from day one – ministers had got their maths badly wrong, and many more farms and family businesses will be broken up as a result of Labour’s highest taxes.”

The top Tory demanded to know why the Government had performed a U-turn after over a year of insisting the policy was the right one.

She suggested the tax cut announcement was not due to farmers’ anguish, but because of a growing Labour backbench rebellion. Last month, a rural Northern MP lost the whip for feeling compelled to vote against his own Government’s policy.

Answering for Ms Reeves, north London MP Dan Tomlinson insisted that the Government’s latest U-turn was a result of continuing to listen to both the representatives of family businesses and the farming community.

He noted that the National Farmers’ Union and others welcomed the major reversal of policy, arguing it was the “right change to make and makes sure we get the balance right”.

Mr Tomlinson insisted that the new threshold of £2.5million before inheritance tax kicks in will still raise £300million from the very largest estates.

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