After a busy week in politics, Abi Reader updates members on the latest news. She discusses the Senedd vote on Tuesday 2 December, where Members of the Senedd voted on three different statutory instruments (SIs) relating to the implementation of the Sustainable Farming Scheme (SFS), the phasing out of the Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) and the appeals process attached to the new scheme.
Abi notes that if the SIs had not passed there would have been no certainty that the Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) budget (£238m), and the total agricultural budget (£340m), would have remained in place for 2026. This was made clear in the Senedd Chamber ahead of the vote and would have caused significant uncertainty to farming businesses across Wales.
Abi also highlights the Westminster vote where more than 30 Labour MPs abstained on a vote on Resolution 50 of the Finance Bill which relates, specifically, to inheritance tax, demonstrating the true strength of feeling against this awful policy.
