U-turn on inheritance tax for farmers ‘snuck out’ to avoid scrutiny, say Tories

Victoria Atkins: ‘They’re trying to sort of slip this under the radar once everybody else is distracted with Christmas preparation.’ Photograph: Andy Rain/EPA

Ministers “snuck out” the announcement that they had decided to U-turn on inheritance tax for farmers, the Conservatives have said after the government revealed the move in a press release two days before Christmas.

The shadow environment secretary, Victoria Atkins, accused the government of trying to dodge scrutiny of its latest policy reversal, under which the threshold for taxing inherited farmland will rise from a planned £1m to £2.5m.