'PM cannot reset the government without first fixing the mistakes', says CLA President

The CLA has responded to the Prime Minister's speech 'resetting' his government's agenda today, with President Victoria Vyvyan arguing it must first fix the mistakes it has already made.

Sir Keir Starmer has announced his six priorities in a speech in Buckinghamshire, covering areas such as higher living standards, safer streets and ensuring a record number of five-year-olds enter school 'ready to learn'.

But the Labour government, barely five months old, has faced a barrage of criticism in recent weeks, particularly over its autumn Budget and its plans to cap vital inheritance tax reliefs for farmers and family businesses.

CLA President Victoria Vyvyan said:

"The Prime Minister cannot reset the government without first fixing the mistakes he has already made. He cannot offer new promises without keeping the ones he has already broken.

"The anger of hard working farmers and small family business owners is not just a problem he can ignore. These are real people whose lives have been made demonstrably worse by the Budget, and we won't let that drop.

"The Prime Minister and the Chancellor must speak to rural industry leaders and listen, really listen, to what we have to say. Then work with us to develop a plan to grow the rural economy - not force it into recession."

Other pledges the PM has made include building 1.5 million homes, fixing the NHS and delivering clean power by 2030.

As well as changes to inheritance tax, the government has also cut the farming budget in real terms, halved the budget to promote British food exports and scrapped funding to provide advice to farmers entering new environmental land management schemes. Small businesses are also seeing business rates relief cut and employers are facing a national insurance rise to 15%.