Britain's new Farming Minister reportedly felt faint after being shown a room packed with beef during a visit to a food processing plant in the Lake District. Stephen Morgan, who was appointed by Prime Minister Andy Burnham last month, said he “felt unwell” but did not confirm he fainted.
Farmer claims minister 'felt faint'
A local farmer with knowledge of the incident said Mr Morgan had been shown large cuts of beef and some steaks before he “felt faint”. The farmer added that the minister reported feeling unwell and that he needed a “moment”. The farmer told The Sun “it’s not a great look” for the Farming Minister to “faint at the sight of meat”.
However, Mr Morgan, who is also the MP for Portsmouth South, denied this was the case and insisted his wobble was related to a shift in temperature. He told The Sun: “I felt unwell moving between the extreme heat and cold storage, and I’m grateful to all the staff at Lake District Farmers.”
Minister's response
Mr Morgan added: “Hats off to the brilliant people working in these conditions and temperatures to keep the nation fed.”
Mr Burnham has sought to mend Labour’s relations with the farming industry after a fierce row over inheritance tax changes proposed under Sir Keir Starmer’s premiership. The Prime Minister, who visited a family-run farm in Cornwall on Saturday, said the Government has a “long way to go to build back trust” with farmers. He added that Britain needs to “guarantee our own food production going forward”.
Government funding package
A day earlier, Mr Burnham unveiled a £65million funding package for farmers amid fears that recent hot and dry weather could drive up food prices on supermarket shelves. Food producers have been facing a multitude of challenges in recent weeks as large areas of the country experience a series of heatwaves, little rainfall, and drought. Many have been forced to harvest crops early, while others are seeing lower yields and lower quality produce, following the driest July on record.
