Agricultural Property Relief and Business Property Relief Debate

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Department: HM Treasury

Agricultural Property Relief and Business Property Relief

Alicia Kearns Excerpts
Monday 5th January 2026

(3 days, 22 hours ago)

Commons Chamber
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Nusrat Ghani Portrait Madam Deputy Speaker (Ms Nusrat Ghani)
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I urge colleagues to keep their questions short, and for the answers to be on point.

Alicia Kearns Portrait Alicia Kearns (Rutland and Stamford) (Con)
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This U-turn comes too late for too many. It is extraordinary to hear Labour MPs saying that their farmers are delighted; mine are sick with relief after 14 months. At the Liaison Committee, the Prime Minister accepted that he knew that some farmers had planned to take their lives or had already done so, yet it still took him well over a week to decide that rural lives matter. What was it that suddenly changed after 14 months for him to decide that our farmers should be stood by, and should not be questioning whether or not they were going to be here for next Christmas?

Dan Tomlinson Portrait Dan Tomlinson
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Over the course of recent months—since I have been in the Government, from September onwards—Ministers from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and from the Treasury have continued to engage with farming communities and with business communities. As has been raised by some Members today, it is worth remembering that this change affects business property relief, not just agricultural property relief. As a result of that listening and engagement, we have come forward with this change in time for it to be included in the Finance (No. 2) Bill.