Rural Affairs

Debate between Victoria Atkins and Julian Lewis

Monday 11th November 2024 Commons Chamber

[Victoria Atkins]

I will give way to my right hon. Friend the Member for New Forest East (Sir Julian Lewis), and then I will make some progress.

[Sir Julian Lewis (New Forest East) (Con)]

My right hon. Friend is very kind, and she is making a masterly exposition of how to deconstruct this case. Did she notice, exactly a week ago, when we had an urgent question on the subject, the Minister for Food Security and Rural Affairs was asked how food security could be valued if the result of the Budget measures would be that farmland would be split up and sold off, probably for development. His answer said, in part:

“Of course there are trade-offs. There are a range of pressures on our land, in respect of housing, food, energy and so many other things.”—[Official Report, 4 November 2024; Vol. 756, c. 37.]

So he seemed to be accepting that land will be sold off and it will be built upon.

[Victoria Atkins]

Of course, the Government’s permissions for solar and wind industrial units on prime agricultural land will only add to those pressures as well.