CLAIRE ELLICOTT: PM's feeble farm tax U-turn panders to backbenches

Watering down the hated family farm tax will do no favours to Sir Keir Starmer's authority as he battles to keep his fractious MPs on side.

Sneaking out the announcement during the Christmas recess – and just a month after the Budget – looks like a desperate attempt to avoid scrutiny by Parliament while it is not sitting.

The feeble climbdown is the result of pressure from unhappy backbenchers, who have grown increasingly bold in their attempts to assert themselves.

Despite having a huge majority, Sir Keir and his Chancellor Rachel Reeves have often seemed in hock to their MPs.

The backbenchers forced them to reverse their hugely unpopular cuts to winter fuel payments for pensioners.

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Sir Keir Starmer waters down family farm tax in yet another humiliating U-turn

And the Government's attempt to reform benefits, desperately needed to balance the books, actually resulted in a larger bill for taxpayers after 100 MPs signed a letter threatening rebellion.

Then Ms Reeves lifted the two-child benefit cap at last month's Budget after endless pressure from backbenchers – despite Sir Keir previously insisting that 'tough decisions' meant the country couldn't afford to scrap it.

Now a mounting rebellion by Labour's 100 rural MPs has prompted the climbdown on the family farm tax. Rural campaigners say this pressure, combined with anger about animal welfare changes deemed to be anti-countryside, prompted the rethink.

Sir Keir's latest U-turn will weaken the PM's grasp on power still further – as well as denting the authority of Ms Reeves, who announced the farm tax and insisted it was necessary.

Currying favour with backbenchers may have bought the pair some more time for now, but it chips away at their chances of surviving in the long-term.