Speeches by Reed.

“The tax policy has been set in the last Budget and that is how it is going to be. I have already given my reasons why I think that it is right that every sector of the economy should pay its fair share. If you speak to farmers, some of them will say that the reason it is difficult to pay inheritance tax is that their b…”

“No, I did not say that.”

“You are saying that it is not here already, and that is because the previous Government did not publish it and get on with the work. I think that they had three false starts where they announced dates it would be launched and did not launch it. I launched it. Now it is out there. If the previous Government had done it,…”

“The argument you are making is why we need the land use framework and the information that it will provide.”

“A few months ago, I launched a consultation on the land use framework. We will publish the strategy on that in the autumn. The land use framework was something your party supported while in government, but now opposes in opposition. The land use framework provides granular data for decision makers, including landowners…”

“Those who say they do not want to raise the revenue to fund these benefits need to tell us which of these benefits they would cut as a result of changing it.”

“I am not aware of the details of it. I know that the inheritance tax scheme, as it has been designed—this is OBR as well—will raise, I think it is, half a billion pounds a year for the initial period. That money is helping to fund the national health service, the improvements that we need in mental health support, and …”

“I was not privy to those particular conversations.”

“The Treasury has made the announcement. To be fair, the opposition parties go on as if no farmer will ever hand over ownership while they are in their 60s. The vast majority of them will and therefore will not incur any liability whatsoever.”

“I recognise that there is a particular issue at that point.”

“Do you not think for a moment that those farmers might pass on the farm in their, say, late 60s and therefore avoid payment?”

“The overwhelming proportion of the sector will not be paying this inheritance tax.”

“I know that the Treasury is in pretty regular contact with the NFU and other representative bodies, and so am I. Their representations, and indeed yours, are being heard. On inheritance tax, I do not think that it is unreasonable to expect the agriculture sector to pay its fair share, just like any other business would…”

“I have it with me here, yes.”

“We inherited a situation where large swathes of British farming are unprofitable. Any sector that cannot make profit does not have a future. My intention is to reprioritise these funding schemes so they support farms to transition to models of farming that will enable them to be profitable into the future. My view is t…”

“We are not going to do that, because that does not just damage farming; it damages the entire economy. This Government will be responsible with taxpayers’ money. We are not going to treat it as if it is running out of fashion.”

“Yes, I can see why farmers are not happy, but it is very important that we control our budgets. This Government inherited a £22 billion blackhole because the previous Government did not control their budgets. They thought there was a magic money tree. They allocated funding that did not exist and hoped that future gene…”

“I express my regret that the shadow Secretary of State would seek to politicise personal tragedy in this way. It is immensely regrettable that she would seek to do that; none of us can know for sure what happens in matters of personal tragedy. It is beneath her to try to weaponise the issue in the way that she has done…”

“As is so often the case from that particular source, that is a complete misrepresentation of the truth. Nothing of the kind is happening. Rather than trying to politicise and weaponise the matter, the right hon. Lady would help herself and people who are genuinely concerned about those issues by sticking to the facts.”

“There have been no announcements yet, and I cannot pre-empt them, but we have been crystal clear that we have red lines. We will not allow British farmers to be undercut on environmental or welfare standards in the way that the Conservatives did when they agreed a trade deal with Australia; it undercut British farmers …”