Labour MP's family transferred farm before Budget

Questions have been raised as to whether Henry Tufnell MP passed on information to his family

A Labour MP's parents transferred ownership of farm land to one of their sons days before changes to inheritance tax rules were announced.

Questions have been asked about whether Mid and South Pembrokeshire MP Henry Tufnell gave information to his parents about the proposed changes.

On 10 October his father and mother, Mark and Jane Tufnell, passed Upper Colne Farm and Stud to another son, Albermarle.

Tufnell declined to comment to Newyddion S4C but a spokesman told the Local Democracy Reporting Service it was "implausible" the MP could have known about the changes before they were made public.

There is no suggestion the Tufnells have done anything unlawful.

Henry Tufnell told the Daily Mail: "I appreciate that it looks bad, but there's nothing that I can do about it.

"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."

In Chancellor Rachel Reeves Budget on 30 October it was announced inherited agricultural properties worth more than £1m would be subject to inheritance tax at 20% from April 2026.

Agricultural land is currently exempt from inheritance tax.

The policy change has sparked protests among farmers.

Plaid Cymru councillor and chairman of the Carmarthenshire National Farmers' Union (NFU) Cymru branch, Hefin Jones, said the situation surrounding the Tufnell family looked bad.

He said: "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, a farmer in Tufnell's constituency, said: "Why has this change been made just before the Budget? Henry has questions to answer.

"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 spokesman for Tufnell, pictured on the night of the 2024 general election, said it was "implausible" he knew about the changes

A spokesman for the Mid and South Pembrokeshire Labour MP said 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".

He added: "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."

Tufnell's parents and brother have been approached for comment by Newyddion S4C.

This story was updated on 9 December 2024 to provide additional context around Henry Tufnell's remarks.