Family of Labour MP Transferred Farm Ownership Ahead of Budget Announcement

The parents of a Labour Member of Parliament conveyed ownership of agricultural property to one of their children just days prior to the public announcement of alterations to inheritance tax regulations. Inquiries have arisen regarding whether Henry Tufnell, the MP for Mid and South Pembrokeshire, supplied his parents with details concerning the prospective policy shifts. On October 10, Mark and Jane Tufnell, the MP’s father and mother, conveyed Upper Colne Farm and Stud to their other son, Albermarle. Mr. Tufnell chose not to provide a statement to Newyddion S4C; however, a spokesperson informed the Local Democracy Reporting Service that it was “implausible” for the MP to have possessed knowledge of these changes before their official disclosure. It has not been suggested that the Tufnell family engaged in any illegal actions. Henry Tufnell stated to the Daily Mail: “I appreciate that it looks bad, but there’s nothing that I can do about it.” He added, “I guess the point is that your family is your family, and dad has taken tax advice and spoken to financial advisers and has started succession planning. But it’s not because of something I told him.” During Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ Budget presentation on October 30, it was declared that inherited agricultural properties exceeding £1 million in value would incur inheritance tax at a rate of 20% starting April 2026. Presently, agricultural land is not subject to inheritance tax. This alteration in policy has led to demonstrations among farmers. Hefin Jones, a Plaid Cymru councillor and the chairman of the Carmarthenshire National Farmers’ Union (NFU) Cymru branch, commented that the circumstances involving the Tufnell family appeared unfavorable. He remarked: “When you have a Labour member… potentially using information he may have been privy to, when there are so many Welsh businesses who may be damaged as a result of this policy… it certainly begs a question.” Tory councillor Aled Thomas, who is also a farmer within Mr. Tufnell’s constituency, stated: “Why has this change been made just before the Budget? Henry has questions to answer.” He further added, “At the end of the day Henry will be answerable to the people of Pembrokeshire and they will make up their own minds about what he did or didn’t know.” A representative for the Labour MP for Mid and South Pembrokeshire asserted that it would be “implausible to suggest that Henry – a backbench MP – would have this kind of knowledge prior to the chancellor’s Budget announcements before they were made public”. The representative further stated: “The actions taken by Henry’s parents were based on professional advice from qualified financial advisers, reflecting prudent and responsible management of their family affairs.” Newyddion S4C has sought comments from Mr. Tufnell’s parents and brother. This report was revised on December 9, 2024, to offer further context regarding Henry Tufnell’s statements. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.