Keir Starmer faced sharp criticism during Prime Minister’s Questions (PMQs) following a scandal involving a minister’s comments that farming is “not high in the pecking order” for the government. The remarks, made by Environment Minister Daniel Zeichner at the Norfolk Farming Conference, sparked a backlash, just one day after a significant protest took place in Whitehall.
Zeichner, who was speaking at the conference, was confronted about Labour’s proposed inheritance tax increase on landowners, which has been widely criticized by farmers. During the exchange, he stated that farming did not rank high on the government’s list of priorities. The comments triggered fury from opposition members, particularly Tory MP Harriet Cross, who raised the issue during PMQs, reported by the Express.
Cross wasted no time in challenging the Prime Minister: “Yesterday the farming minister told a conference of farmers that farming is ‘not high in the pecking order for this government.’ Given the heartless family farms tax, is his minister correct? Yes or no?”
In an attempt to mitigate the damage, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak quickly distanced himself from Zeichner’s comments. However, his attempt to downplay the situation fell flat. “Farming’s top of the agenda as far as I’m concerned,” he responded, prompting mocking laughter from the opposition benches.
Sunak’s claim did little to quell the uproar, with Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer pressing the government on the issue. “That’s why we’ve put £5 million to support farmers in the Budget,” Starmer countered. “They failed to spend £300 million on their watch on farming, and we’ve set out our roadmap which has been welcomed by the NFU as she very well knows.”
The controversy comes at a time when the government is under scrutiny for its handling of key rural issues, including the controversial inheritance tax proposal. While Sunak’s response was meant to reassure, the opposition was quick to seize on the contradiction between the government’s actions and Zeichner’s comments.
The fallout from Zeichner’s remarks is expected to continue as the government faces growing pressure to demonstrate its commitment to supporting the farming community, especially amid rising protests and public discontent.
