Wales’s First Minister has sparked outrage after calling for farmers to “calm down a bit” over Labour’s inheritance tax raid.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves has angered the agricultural sector after she announced changes to inheritance tax relief in the Budget.
Speaking during a BBC Radio 5 Live phone-in, Welsh Labour politician Eluned Morgan said initial calculations showed there were a “tiny proportion” of farms would be clobbered.
She added: “I just think we should just all calm down a bit until we are clear about how many farms will be affected, and we are crunching the numbers on that.”
But her comments have prompted a backlash from the Tories and campaigners.
Welsh Tory leader Andrew RT Davies said: “Lost for words at this. Just what planet is Eluned Morgan living on?
“Just like her predecessors, she’s another Labour First Minister completely out of touch with reality.”
Mo Metcalf-Fisher, director of external affairs at the Countryside Alliance, added: “Talk about misjudging the public mood.
“These patronising comments suggest the First Minister is lacking in basic empathy for the people that feed us and maintain our countryside, despite the many obstacles in their way.
“Rather than tell farmers how to behave, perhaps the Government should prioritise clearing up exactly how many farms will be affected by this appalling family farm tax. This is increasingly becoming a political and PR crisis”.
The Chancellor announced last month that the 100% inheritance tax relief for family farms would be limited to only the first £1million of combined agricultural and business property.
Under the changes, landowners will pay a 20% tax rate for anything above that.
But critics have warned the move will have a devastating impact on the future of farm businesses, forcing many to sell land and reduce their business viability, as well as making Britain more reliant on imports.
Ministers have insisted that only about a quarter of farmers – the largest landowners – will be affected.
The Daily Express is campaigning for a U-turn on the controversial changes.
