Welsh Lib Dems Slam Welsh Labour MPs for Voting Through Family Farms Tax

The Welsh Liberal Democrats have slammed Welsh Labour MPs for voting through the family farms tax, warning that it will have a devastating impact on one of Wales’ most important economic sectors, on the vitality of rural communities, and on the future of the Welsh language.

In a vote in the Commons tonight, 23 of Wales’s 27 Labour MPs voted to support the family farms tax, whilst the remaining 4 abstained or weren't present to vote. The Welsh Liberal Democrats and Plaid Cymru voted against the policy. The Conservatives no longer have any MPs in Wales.

The new tax changes, which alter the rules around agricultural property relief and raise the tax burden on inherited and family-run farms, are expected to hit Wales disproportionately due to the country’s high proportion of small and medium-sized family farms. Industry groups have already warned that the reforms risk pushing farming businesses into financial crisis, accelerating the trend of consolidation, and undermining the long-term sustainability of local food production.

According to recent economic assessments, agriculture and the wider food and drink sector support over 228,000 jobs in Wales (around 17% of the entire workforce) and generate more than £24 billion in turnover each year, making them vital to the whole Welsh economy, not just rural areas. Critics warn that the new tax regime could force many family farms to sell land or assets simply to meet higher liabilities, triggering a ripple effect across supply chains in towns and cities.

43% of those working in agriculture, forestry and fishing in Wales speak Welsh, compared with just 17.8% of the overall population, so any policy that accelerates rural depopulation risks seriously undermining everyday community use of the language.

The Welsh Liberal Democrats argue that Welsh Labour MPs had a clear choice to stand up for rural Wales, but instead chose to “wave through” measures that will make it harder for family farms to survive.

Welsh Labour MPs voted to back the family farms tax despite a cross-party Welsh Affairs Select Committee report explicitly calling on the UK Government to pause its introduction so that a full Wales-specific impact evaluation could be carried out.

The Welsh Liberal Democrats said Labour’s decision to plough ahead regardless shows a clear ideological disregard for rural Wales, with the Party choosing to ignore constructive solutions and compromise proposals that could have protected family farms while still meeting wider policy aims.

Commenting, Welsh Liberal Democrat Westminster Spokesperson David Chadwick MP said:

“Family farms are the backbone of rural Wales economically, socially and culturally. By voting through this damaging tax, Welsh Labour MPs have turned their backs on the very communities they claim to represent. These changes will put enormous strain on farming families already grappling with rising costs, volatile markets and the uncertainties of post-Brexit trade.

“This is not only a blow to farmers’ livelihoods, but a threat to the Welsh language and the rural communities that rely on agriculture to survive, as well as the food and drink sector, one of our country’s largest employers, supporting people not just in rural areas but in our towns and cities too.

“The Liberal Democrats will continue to fight this policy as it makes its way through further stages of Parliament.”

ENDS

NOTES FOR EDITORS:

Welsh Labour MPs voting in favour of the family farms tax:

1. Alex Barros-Curtis – Cardiff West
2. Torsten Bell – Swansea West
3. Chris Bryant – Rhondda and Ogmore
4. Alex Davies-Jones – Pontypridd
5. Stephen Doughty – Cardiff South and Penarth
6. Chris Evans – Caerphilly 
7. Catherine Fookes – Monmouthshire 
8. Gill German – Clwyd North
9. Becky Gittins – Clwyd East
10. Nia Griffith – Llanelli
11. Carolyn Harris – Neath and Swansea East
12. Claire Hughes – Bangor Aberconwy
13. Gerald Jones – Merthyr Tydfil and Aberdare 
14.  Ruth Jones – Newport West and Islwyn
15. Stephen Kinnock – Aberafan Maesteg 
16. Anna McMorrin – Cardiff North 
17. Jessica Morden – Newport East
18. Kanishka Narayan – Vale of Glamorgan
19. Andrew Ranger – Wrexham
20. Nick Smith – Blaenau Gwent and Rhymney
21. Jo Stevens – Cardiff East 
22. Mark Tami – Alyn and Deeside 
23. Nick Thomas-Symonds – Torfaen 

Welsh Labour MPs who abstained (or who weren't present):

1. Tonia Antoniazzi – Gower 
2. Chris Elmore – Bridgend
3. Henry Tufnell – Mid and South Pembrokeshire
4. Steve Witherden – Montgomeryshire and Glyndŵr