Amid an ongoing debate about the Government's inheritance tax changes, which have drawn criticism from concerned farmers, Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner has refused to rule out further tax increases, insisting that “the vast majority of estate owners will be totally unaffected.” She said: "I absolutely stand by the figures the Government have set out," and added that she was "sorry" to hear that farmers were "distressed by what I would say is scaremongering around what the Labour Party is doing." Meanwhile, Environment Secretary Steve Reed has rejected claims that the Government underestimated how many will be affected by the change. Despite Treasury data suggesting three-quarters of farmers will pay no inheritance tax, Defra data indicates that 66% of farm businesses exceed the £1m threshold for the new 20% tax.
