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Watch live as Angela Rayner steps in for Sir Keir Starmer at Prime Minister’s Questions (PMQs) on Wednesday, 20 November, as official figures showed UK inflation has risen to its highest level since April.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said Consumer Prices Index (CPI) inflation rose to 2.3% for October, from 1.7% in the previous month, driven by an increase in household energy bills.
In October, average household energy bills increased by £149 a year after regulator Ofgem raised the cap from £1,568 for a typical dual-fuel household in England, Scotland and Wales to £1,717 — representing approximately a 10 per cent rise.
It marks the sharpest month-on-month increase in the rate of inflation for two years.
Wednesday’s PMQs also came after hordes of farmers descended upon London to protest against Labour’s proposed changes to agricultural inheritance tax.
From April 2026, landowners who inherit agricultural assets worth more than £1m will have to pay 20 per cent inheritance tax on them.
These assets were previously entirely exempt from the tax under the agricultural property relief law.
Under the new rules, the 20 per cent levy – which is half of the standard 40 per cent rate – will be charged on assets above the £1m threshold only.
Treasury data shows that around three-quarters of farmers will pay nothing in inheritance tax as a result of the controversial changes.
However, farmers critical of the figures have pointed to data from the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) which suggests 66 per cent of farm businesses are worth more than the £1m threshold at which a 20% inheritance tax will now need to be paid.
The prime minister has insisted he is “absolutely confident the vast majority of farms and farmers will not be affected by this.”
