Agricultural Property Relief and Business Property Relief

Douglas McAllister Excerpts

Monday 5th January 2026 Commons Chamber

[Dan Tomlinson]

We will not be scrapping this tax completely. We have tabled an amendment that the House will have the chance to debate next week in Committee of the whole House on the Finance Bill. We think that the proposals that we plan to implement will raise £300 million in a fair way and protect smaller family farms.

[Douglas McAllister (West Dunbartonshire) (Lab)]

Last month, I visited Portnellan farm in my West Dunbartonshire constituency. I received a very warm and courteous welcome from husband and wife farmers David and Freda and their son Chris. The Scott-Parks run their family farm and were keen for me to hear and see at first hand the challenges that they face in ensuring that the next generation can continue to farm at Portnellan. I listened to their request that we review the original proposals. Does the Minister agree that 85% of all farming estates will now be protected from inheritance tax but, importantly, that we will maintain the original principle that tax avoiders should not use land to avoid tax at the expense of hard-working family farmers such as the Scott-Parks?

[Dan Tomlinson]

My hon. Friend makes an important point. If someone has agricultural or business assets worth £2.5 million, for example, they will now pay £300,000 less in inheritance tax than they would otherwise have paid; if they are worth £5 million, they will pay £600,000 less than they would have paid before the changes that we announced last month. The challenge of the proposals from the Opposition parties is that they would provide a £1 million tax cut to an estate worth £10 million. Their priority is clearly giving the very largest estates in this country tax cuts worth millions or even tens of millions, rather than using revenue in a fair way to fund our public services.

Oral Answers to Questions

Douglas McAllister Excerpts

Tuesday 9th September 2025 Commons Chamber

[Mr Connor Rand (Altrincham and Sale West) (Lab)]

2. What steps she has taken to increase economic growth through the 10-year infrastructure strategy.

[Douglas McAllister (West Dunbartonshire) (Lab)]

13. What steps she has taken to increase economic growth through the 10-year infrastructure strategy.

[Luke Akehurst (North Durham) (Lab)]

16. What steps she has taken to increase economic growth through the 10-year infrastructure strategy.

--- Later in debate ---

[Rachel Reeves]

My hon. Friend is a proud champion of the people of Altrincham and Sale West. Investment through the transport for city regions fund will allow the Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, to invest in local priorities, creating jobs, better commutes, bigger labour markets and more opportunity across Greater Manchester. That includes investment in the fully electric Bee Network with zero-emission public transport by 2030, including the purchase of 1,000 new electric buses made in Rochdale, Northern Ireland and Scotland. That is in sharp contrast with the SNP Government, who buy their buses from China.

[Douglas McAllister]

Thanks to Labour’s fiscal rules, the Government have unlocked private investment in UK infrastructure and strengthened investor confidence. The 10-year infrastructure strategy will revitalise all parts of the country’s economy, including in Scotland and in my constituency of West Dunbartonshire. Does the Chancellor agree that the UK Labour Government have put Scotland at the heart of economic growth, with unprecedented support for Scottish industries, jobs and public services, in stark contrast to the SNP Scottish Government?

[Rachel Reeves]

My hon. Friend is a great champion for the people of West Dunbartonshire, and I know he is working very closely with the Ministry of Defence at the moment to secure defence investment in his constituency. During the summer, I had the opportunity to spend some time in Scotland, seeing the results of our infrastructure investments—in the defence sector, carbon capture and storage in Aberdeenshire, transport investment in Glasgow, the supercomputer, and RAF Lossiemouth—and how the trade deals are benefiting industries in Scotland, including Scotch whisky.

Oral Answers to Questions

Douglas McAllister Excerpts

Tuesday 8th April 2025 Commons Chamber

[Emma Reynolds]

As I said in my previous answer, we do not have any plans to change the Link criteria; those are a matter for Link. However, there are some flexibilities in the way that it applies the criteria, depending on the local population, travel times to nearby bank branches and, indeed, the number of small businesses in an area. I would be happy to meet my hon. Friend if that is of concern to him.

[Douglas McAllister (West Dunbartonshire) (Lab)]

T1. If she will make a statement on her departmental responsibilities.

--- Later in debate ---

[Darren Jones]

From ferries to the National Care Service, we have seen failure after failure from the SNP in Scotland, including a track record of waste. In contrast, this Labour Government are tackling waste and investing in frontline services such as our national health service, which has seen waiting lists fall for each of the past five months in England. We hope that the people of Scotland will soon have the opportunity to experience such a transformation.

[Douglas McAllister]

The Chancellor set out in the spring statement a clear plan to drive better value for taxpayers, including through the transformation fund, which will transform frontline delivery while making savings in the long term. Does he agree that that is in stark contrast to the SNP Scottish Government’s record of waste?

[Darren Jones]

As my hon. Friend knows, we have given the Scottish Government the largest increase in spending since devolution began. The people of Scotland expect that money to be spent well, which we are doing in England by transforming public services and improving the national health service. However, given that SNP Members are not present in the Chamber today, the people of Scotland need to know that they will have to elect a Labour Government in Scotland later next year for that to happen.