Rural campaigners have erupted in fury after Andy Burnham handed the farming brief to an MP who backed the hated family farm tax five times. Angela Eagle, whose seat of Wallasey is not a rural constituency, has now been installed as the DEFRA Secretary, despite defending the controversial inheritance tax raid on farmers under Sir Keir Starmer. The Daily Express has led a long campaign to 'Stop the Family Farm Tax' amid mounting fears for the damage it will inflict on the UK's rural communities.
Tory criticism
Top Tory Victoria Atkins MP said the appointment proved Labour had lurched further Left under its new leader. She fumed: "This latest version of a Labour government is just a more left-wing version of the old tax-hiking Starmer government." Ms Atkins warned that Mr Burnham "has appointed an urban MP, Angela Eagle, as Defra Secretary who defended these vindictive taxes vigorously under Keir Starmer, voting for them FIVE times." She added that the Tories would "axe the Family Farm and Business Taxes when we're back in government".
Rural campaigners react
Rural campaigners also rounded on the new Prime Minister, accusing him of ignoring the countryside just a day after promising to end Westminster's "wrong turns". Mo Metcalf-Fisher, director of external affairs at the Countryside Alliance, said the family farm tax was "one of Starmer's biggest political mistakes". He said the policy triggered the biggest rural protests seen in Westminster since Tony Blair's row with the countryside over hunting in the early 2000s.
Mr Metcalf-Fisher warned rural Britain was still reeling, with pubs and farms both hammered by soaring taxes and National Insurance hikes. He said the countryside desperately wanted to trust Mr Burnham's promise to "bring back hope" - but warned trust "is earned through respect and action". His comments come as thousands prepare to descend on the Peterborough Royal Foxhound Show this week, marking its 138th anniversary.
Mr Metcalf-Fisher said rural communities would be watching closely to see whether Mr Burnham brings real change - or lets the countryside become "an afterthought" once again. He added: "If 'change' turns out to be nothing more than a repeat of past mistakes, rural people will feel sidelined, let down and hurt." The Daily Express has approached DEFRA for comment.
