Labour pledged that half of public sector food purchases would be locally produced or certified to higher environmental standards, with public sector food spending estimated at £5 billion annually. Countryside Alliance data show only two departments source a majority of food from Britain: the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (80%) and the Department of Health and Social Care (72%); many departments either did not record figures or had no policy prioritising British produce. Farmers faced prior losses after inheritance tax reform reduced reliefs for family farms, prompting thousands of closures and protests. Farmers and opposition politicians describe the unmet pledge as a betrayal and warn of worsening conditions.
With the public sector spending an estimated £5 billion a year on food, the pledge was billed as a potential multi-billion-pound lifeline for farmers. However, data obtained by the Countryside Alliance shows that only two government departments currently source a majority of their food from Britain: the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (80%) and the Department of Health and Social Care (72%).
Farmers, still reeling from those measures, now see the unfulfilled food pledge as a further betrayal. Richard Tice, deputy leader of Reform UK, said: "After slapping an unjust and disastrous inheritance tax on British farms, it comes as no surprise that Labour are continuing their betrayal of UK food producers. It's almost as if they are trying to wipe the sector out entirely."
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