A Labour member had their party privileges suspended today after voting against the government during a Budget session. Markus Campbell-Savours, the MP for Penrith and Solway, opposed the proposal to introduce inheritance tax on farmers on Tuesday evening. He expressed his commitment to his community, emphasizing that the tax changes would have a devastating impact on many family-owned farms.
During the previous general election, Campbell-Savours assured farmers in his constituency that Agricultural Property Relief, which reduces the tax burden on farm owners when passing on their land, would not be altered. He raised concerns about the proposed changes to the relief, stating that they would particularly affect elderly farmers who had not yet made arrangements to transfer assets to their families.
Campbell-Savours emphasized that many farmers had anticipated these changes and had taken preemptive steps or sought reassurance from Labour candidates, including himself, based on previous commitments. He underscored his dedication to his community and his promise to support them, which guided his decision to vote against the Budget resolution.
Following his dissenting vote, Campbell-Savours was notified by Labour’s Chief Whip, Jonathan Reynolds, that he was losing the party whip. The Budget reforms announced by Chancellor Rachel Reeves last year included restrictions on Agricultural Property Relief, limiting the relief to the first £1 million from April 2026, with a 20% rate applying beyond that threshold. These changes sparked significant opposition from farmers.
In the latest Budget, Reeves also revealed that any unused portion of the £1 million relief could be transferred between spouses and civil partners.