Government 'can do to farmers what Margaret Thatcher did to the miners', says former Labour adviser
A former Labour adviser has provoked outrage by suggesting the government "can do to farmers what Margaret Thatcher did to the miners".
One of Tony Blair’s ex advisers John McTernan claimed small family farms were an “industry we could do without” and signalled he’d personally be in favour of ministers engaging in a confrontation with farmers who protest about changes to inheritance tax relief.
In a GB News interview, the former political adviser said the move was "”clamping down on tax avoidance” adding: “If they want to go on the streets we can do to them what Margaret Thatcher did to the miners.”
The remarks were quickly seized upon by senior Tories, with former home secretary James Cleverly describing Mr McTernan as a Labour insider “saying the quiet bit out loud”.
The Prime Minister distanced himself from the remarks, saying he “totally disagrees” with the claim. However Mo Metcalf-Fisher, from the Countryside Alliance, said it was “shocking” that such an ideologue “can get so close to the reins of power”.
Thousands are expected to protest in London next Tuesday over plans to charge farmers 20 per cent of the value of the agricultural and business property above £1m, which the Treasury claims will affect roughly a quarter of farmers. However critics say many average-sized family farms will be hit by swingeing tax bills, many times their annual profits, which could lead to forced land sales.