Rebel Labour MP hailed by Victoria Atkins after being suspended for backing farmers - 'Disgraceful!'

Penrith and Solway MP Markus Campbell-Savours had the whip suspended after he rebelled and voted against the Government’s plans to impose inheritance tax on farmers on Tuesday night.

He told the Commons he had to do all he could for his community, warning in the Commons the changes would leave many farmers "devastated at the impact on their family farms".

Offering her support to Mr Campbell-Savours, Ms Atkins told GB News: "He absolutely is doing the right thing, and I want to commend Marcus for taking that decision to defy the party whip, which is a big deal.

"He defied the party whip, and what I think is so disgraceful is that the whip has now been suspended from him."

Highlighting the Labour MP's public support for family farmers amid the tax raid, she added: "The reason it's disgraceful is that Marcus himself has said that in the run up to the General Election campaign, he asked for assurances from Labour bosses as to whether or not they were going to change this inheritance tax for family farms and for wider family businesses.

"He was assured that they were not going to touch it, and so he gave that assurance to his constituents and they voted accordingly."

Stressing that many British farmers feel "betrayed" by Labour's decision, Ms Atkins stated: "We know that other farmers across the country have felt betrayed by Labour's supposed promise at the election that they're going to do the right thing and not change these rules.

"And then of course, what did they do at the very first opportunity that they had? They imposed the family farm and the family business tax."

Vowing to work "with Markus" in the continuation of her campaign against the inheritance tax raid, the Shadow Environment Secretary told GB News: "And so I will work with Markus, I will work with anyone to try to get this Government to see sense.

"To axe the family farm and family business tax so that the rural economy can continue to grow as I want it to do so."

Arguing that Britons are continuing to "lose confidence" in Labour, Ms Atkins explained: "Under this Government, sadly, people are just losing confidence in the Government and in the Chancellor, because they really do not have a clue and they appear not to care about the countryside.

"From the moment Rachel Reeves announced this tax in the last Budget, the Conservatives, Kemi and I have been campaigning relentlessly, trying to help the Government to understand the facts of what they were in fact imposing on the countryside.

"So they have had opportunity after opportunity to try and wriggle their way out of this, do something graceful and elegant, like announcing a consultation so that we could all submit the evidence as to the impact this was already having on families as well as the rural economy, let alone before it's even come into force."

She added: "But they have denied, and they've denied the evidence that farmers and others have put before them. They have refused to countenance any suggestion as to the damage these taxes are doing."

Reiterating that she will work with "any" MPs who wish to campaign against the tax raid, Ms Atkins concluded: "And so Marcus and indeed, some 32, 33 other Labour MPs, we believe, abstained.

"Marcus voted against, but the others abstained. And as I say, we Conservatives will work with anyone to try to get this Government to change its mind before it's too late.

"Because it's having a terrible impact on rural communities and economies up and down the country."

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