A Labour Member of Parliament, Markus Campbell-Savours, had his party membership suspended for opposing the government in a recent Budget vote. Campbell-Savours, representing Penrith and Solway, voted against the proposal to implement inheritance tax on farmers, citing concerns that the changes would have a devastating impact on family farms in his community.
During the previous general election, Campbell-Savours had assured farmers in his constituency that Agricultural Property Relief, which reduces the tax burden on farm owners when passing on their land, would not be altered. He expressed deep reservations about the proposed changes to agricultural property relief, highlighting the distress it would cause to elderly farmers who had not yet made arrangements to transfer assets.
Campbell-Savours explained that many farmers, anticipating these changes, had taken preemptive action or reached out to Labour candidates who had given assurances based on previous commitments that the relief would remain untouched. Feeling a responsibility to fulfill his promises to his constituents, Campbell-Savours chose to vote against the Budget resolution enabling the proposed changes.
Following his decision to rebel against the government, Campbell-Savours was informed by Labour’s Chief Whip Jonathan Reynolds that he was having the party whip withdrawn. The controversial reforms to Agricultural Property Relief, announced by Chancellor Rachel Reeves during the previous Budget, stirred significant backlash from farmers. Starting in April 2026, the relief will be capped at £1 million with a 20% rate applying to amounts exceeding this threshold. Additionally, any unused relief within the £1 million limit can now be transferred between spouses and civil partners, as revealed in the latest Budget announcement by Ms. Reeves.
