The BBC Verify unit used a Labour Party activist as an “independent tax expert” to back its analysis of Government figures on the farm tax, analysis that Keir Starmer then cited as proof he was correct. The Telegraph has the story.
The broadcaster’s fact-checking service quoted Dan Neidle as an “independent tax expert” in a piece assessing how many British farms would be affected by the inheritance tax raid.
Mr. Neidle, a retired City lawyer, made headlines last year when he pursued Nadhim Zahawi, the Conservative Party Chairman at the time, over his tax affairs.
In a BBC Verify story on the corporation’s website, titled “How many farms will be affected by Budget tax rises?”, Mr. Neidle sided with the Treasury’s low estimate.
It said: “Dan Neidle, an independent tax expert, says the number of actual farms affected is likely to be below 500 per year.”
The Country Land and Business Association (CLBA) has produced a much higher figure, which Mr. Neidle dismissed on X as “hyperbolic fake stats”.
The BBC Verify piece has since been amended, with Mr. Neidle’s “below 500 per year” claim removed and his title amended to “founder of the independent Tax Policy Associates”.
It continues to dismiss the CLBA’s assertion that a total of 70,000 farms will be hit by the tax change as “not necessarily the right number to use”.
Worth reading in full.
It has further emerged that Labour carried out no impact assessment before launching its inheritance tax raid on farmers, casting further doubt on its claim that only 550 farms a year will be affected. The Telegraph has more.
The Chancellor’s failure to carry out a full review has cast doubt on the Government’s claim that only 550 farms a year will be hit by inheritance tax changes from 2026.
It comes amid a row over the policy, with Labour accused of underestimating how many landowners will be taxed, and Sir Keir Starmer’s own MPs calling for exemptions for family farms.
Rachel Reeves announced in her October Budget a £1 million cap on agricultural property relief, which allows farmers to pass farmland between generations without paying inheritance tax.
In her speech, Ms. Reeves said 72% of farms would be unaffected and the Government has since maintained that only 550 farms will be dragged into the inheritance tax net as a result.
However, a Treasury source told the Telegraph an official assessment would not be published until next year’s autumn Budget – six months before the tax takes effect.
Campaigners have said the introduction of such sweeping changes without a full review amounted to “negligence”, as thousands descended on Westminster on Tuesday to protest the new measures.
The National Farmers’ Union (NFU) and the Country Land and Business Association estimate that 70,000 farms will be hit.
They point to figures published by the Government’s own Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), which suggest 34% of farms would be unaffected.
On Tuesday, Sir Keir claimed the BBC had backed him over the tax rises, prompting accusations of bias. Speaking at a press conference in Rio, where he is attending the G20 summit, the Prime Minister insisted that the “vast majority” of farmers would be unaffected.
He said: “All of you can check out what that means in terms of the impact. I think the BBC has already done it.”
Also worth reading in full.
As Clarkson says, “Since when was the BBC the mouthpiece of this infernal Government?”
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