South Shropshire 'abandoned' by Chancellor's budget says MP

Responding to the Autumn Budget delivered by Rachel Reeves in Parliament, Stuart Anderson has said that the measures "lets down" rural communities like his constituency.

The MP has scrutinised decisions on tax changes, saying that the Chancellor has broken her party's election pledge that 'Labour will not increase taxes on working people'.

The MP said he believes this will hit rural communities the most including farmers, commuters, and small businesses.

The Budget revealed that businesses will be hit with a 1.2 per cent increase in National Insurance contributions (NICs). Mr Anderson said the changes constitute a "tax on jobs" that will be felt by the UK's small business and could prevent small businesses and charities from hiring staff and increasing wages.

The South Shropshire MP also slammed changes to the Agricultural Property Relief (APR) and Business Property Relief (BPR), with a cap being introduced from 2026.

Mr Anderson said this would damage farms in the longer term "since the reliefs had enabled them to be handed down to future generations for free of charge". He added that he had previously called on the Government in September to rule out any changes, reporting that Shropshire boasts the highest number of farm holdings of any county in England - forming nearly 20 per cent of enterprises.

Meanwhile, Anderson has called the Governments decision to review spending spent on flood defences and farm schemes from 2025-26 as "short-sighted" and believes those living in the poorest and rural areas have been hit the hardest by the cap on bus fares being halved, and said this was "bad news" for commuters.

However, the MP has endorsed Labour's decision to keep the keep the decade-long freeze on fuel duty.

Reacting to the Autumn Budget, Stuart Anderson MP said: "The Chancellor has once again neglected the needs of rural communities and abandoned places like South Shropshire.

"Billed as one of the 'greatest economic moments in Labour history', the Budget has failed to deliver.

"It results in only broken promises, increased costs, and reduced support for farmers, workers, and commuters. In refusing to invest in the potential of rural communities, the government has left us behind. Family farms will be hurt by changes to inheritance relief, while jobs will be threatened by increased taxes on Shropshire's small businesses.

"Meanwhile, the decision to halve the cap on bus journeys is bad news for commuters. I do not believe that this is the end of the conversation about what the government can do to support local communities like ours. I will continue to urge them to do so."