News

Pembrokeshire MP denies leaking tax changes before Budget

Published

1 year ago

March 6, 2025

LOCAL MP Henry Tufnell has denied claims that he provided his father with inside information regarding upcoming changes to Inheritance Tax and Agricultural Property Relief, which were announced in the autumn Budget.

The controversy arose after reports that Mr Tufnell’s father placed part of the family’s multi-million-pound agricultural estate in a trust weeks before Chancellor Rachel Reeves confirmed the tax changes.

Speaking to The Times last weekend, Mr Tufnell revealed that part of his family’s Cotswold estate had been placed in a trust, with his brother Albermarle as the beneficiary. While entirely legal, the move could save the estate £4m in Inheritance Tax if Mr Tufnell’s father lives another seven years.

The Times reported that Henry Tufnell’s father’s legal tax arrangements could significantly reduce the family’s future tax burden. However, the Mid & South Pembrokeshire MP insists he had no inside knowledge of the Chancellor’s plans.

‘Absurd’ to suggest insider knowledge

In the Times interview, Mr Tufnell defended his actions, stating: “It’s just absurd to suggest that I had concrete knowledge of what was going to be in the Budget as a backbench MP.”

The interview continues: “He admits, though, that he had heard rumours of a change in the offing and did discuss it with his father.

“My dad was the president of the Country Landowners Association, he sits on the board of Natural England, he’s all over what goes on in the industry.

“So when it’s being briefed out that there might be changes, of course I talked to him.”

Taking those words at face value, Mr Tufnell describes a situation in which he heard speculation about a change in Inheritance Tax and Agricultural Property Relief and mentioned it to his father. Mr Tufnell states that his parents’ actions were based on industry speculation and professional advice rather than any conversation he had with them. We accept, without reservation, that Henry Tufnell’s parents acted on that independent advice following widely reported speculation over potential changes to Inheritance Tax and Agricultural Property Relief.

A spokesperson for Mr Tufnell said: “There was talk about changes to IHT, which had been in the media for some time, and industry had been raising concerns about the possibility of it being looked at ahead of the Budget announcement. So, of course, as an MP representing a rural constituency, and as an MP from a farming background, Henry engaged constructively with the farming sector as soon as concerns were raised.”

The Herald asked Henry Tufnell’s office when he discussed the issue with his father and how many other farmers he spoke with regarding potential IHT and APR changes before the Budget. At the time of publication, no response had been received, although Mr Tufnell’s representatives had confirmed that a substantive response was forthcoming shortly. However, since publication, Mr. Tufnell’s representatives have clarified that he views discussions of publicly available information as an important part of engaging with his constituents and that there was nothing improper about discussing media speculation with his father.

At the time of writing, at 6:00pm on Wednesday, we had not received a response to either question.

Legal intervention before response

Before we received answers to our questions, Mr Tufnell’s legal team at Carter-Ruck intervened. In an email at 5:00pm on Wednesday, they urged us not to publish anything until they had received further instructions from their client.

The email referenced correspondence between this article’s writer and Joshua Beynon, Mr Tufnell’s Senior Communications Officer.

We accept that any suggestion that Henry Tufnell had privileged information and acted upon it to benefit a family member is categorically untrue. As his interview made clear, the MP did not possess insider knowledge.

To avoid any doubt, we accept the most favourable possible interpretation of his actions: namely, Henry Tufnell did no more than gossip with his father about rumours, the foundations for which were unknown to him. That is entirely different from having concrete information and acting upon it inappropriately.

If The Times is accurate, his father’s estate has avoided a potential £4m future tax liability. Henry Tufnell will not benefit personally from the arrangements made regarding the family’s Cotswold estate.

**Henry Tufnell with the Prime Minister (Image: Labour Party)**

Tax avoidance and political contradictions

Despite not raising concerns in Parliament before the Budget, Henry Tufnell is now calling for a “review” of the tax changes.

His family’s estate, worth an estimated £20m, has legally shielded part of its assets from the new tax rules, saving a potential £4m. His gilded background was underlined in a gushing profile in society magazine The Tatler. In the profile, Mr Tufnell was described as having the good looks of a Jilly Cooper antihero, while the article referred to his education at Radley public school and Brown University in the USA.

In far less privileged circumstances, thousands of farming families across the UK now face financial uncertainty, including many in Pembrokeshire.

Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves has come under repeated fire for her abject failure to understand basic farm economics. Instead of targeting land speculators who invest in agricultural land for tax relief, the Chancellor’s changes risk breaking up family farms and damaging the UK’s future food security. The spectacle of Labour MPs, including Henry Tufnell, calling upon farmers to act now to avoid paying their “fair share”, as members of the Cabinet call it, is politically “interesting”.

Mr Tufnell never raised the issue in Parliament. On social media this week, he called for “a review” of the policy.

NFU Cymru has lobbied against the changes since the media speculated about the possibility following the Chancellor of the Exchequer’s interview with the BBC on July 30. The union confirmed to us that they heard rumours of the change and lobbied Wales’s MPs to head off Rachel Reeves’s tax grab.

“We face an incredibly difficult situation, but there is still time for the Treasury to stop and think again,” NFU Cymru President Aled Jones said.

“The legitimate proposal we put to the Minister and his officials remains on the table for their consideration, and I urge them to reconsider. It will still enable the Treasury to raise further funds, it will offer a fairer and more balanced way forward, and remove much of the jeopardy for our agricultural sector, including the significant emotional and financial pressures—not forgetting the risks to national food security.”

***Rachel Reeves: Accused of not understanding farm economics by unions***

Ministry of Defence

Could Milford Haven be a target? Are we exposed as UK relies on US for missile defence?

Published

56 minutes ago

March 22, 2026

Tom Sinclair

Cold War fears resurface as Iran’s reach grows and Britain admits it has no independent shield

PEMBROKESHIRE has long been considered a strategic target — and during the Cold War, the county’s energy infrastructure and Atlantic access placed it firmly on the radar of military planners.

Today, those same strengths are raising uncomfortable questions once again.

As tensions rise following Iran’s attempted strike on a UK–US base at Diego Garcia on Saturday (March 21), the debate has shifted sharply: not whether Britain is under immediate threat — but whether it would be protected if that ever changed.

Strategic target

Milford Haven is home to some of the UK’s most critical energy assets, including major LNG terminals and oil infrastructure that supply a significant share of the nation’s gas.

In strategic terms, such facilities would rank among the most valuable economic targets in any high-level conflict.

For many in Pembrokeshire, that reality is nothing new. During the Cold War, the area was widely regarded as a potential target due to its importance to Britain’s energy security.

Lessons from Diego Garcia

The attempted strike on Diego Garcia has become a defining moment in the current crisis.

The joint UK–US base is a heavily defended military installation, supported by advanced radar systems and US naval assets. Reports indicate that one of the incoming missiles was intercepted before it could reach its target, while another failed.

But that success raises a more troubling question.

If a missile can be intercepted over a fortified base in the Indian Ocean, what happens when the target is a civilian energy hub in west Wales?

No shield over Britain

The UK has no dedicated system to intercept long-range ballistic missiles over its own territory.

While RAF Fylingdales provides early warning and tracking, it cannot stop an incoming threat.

Britain’s air defence network is designed to deal with aircraft, drones and cruise missiles — not high-speed ballistic weapons travelling through space.

In practical terms, if a missile were ever heading toward a location such as Milford Haven, there is no British-operated system that could reliably stop it at the last moment.

Reliance on the United States

Instead, any interception attempt would fall to the United States and wider NATO systems.

These include:

Aegis Ashore missile defence bases in Eastern Europe
US Navy warships equipped with SM-3 interceptors
Integrated NATO tracking and command networks

These systems are capable of striking a missile in space during its midcourse phase — but only if the missile passes within range.

If it does not, there may be no interception at all.

Even when an attempt is made, success is not guaranteed. Analysts estimate that such systems have a probability of success of between 50 and 80 per cent under test conditions, meaning multiple interceptors are often fired at a single target to improve the odds.

Europe now “within range”

The debate has intensified following warnings from Israel that Iran’s latest missiles could reach far beyond the Middle East.

Israeli officials have claimed that the system used in the Diego Garcia attempt was a two-stage ballistic missile with a range of around 4,000 km — potentially placing parts of Europe within reach.

Cities such as London, Paris and Berlin have been cited as falling within the outer limits of that range, although experts stress that range on paper does not necessarily translate into reliable, repeatable strike capability.

Experts divided

Defence analysts remain split.

Some say the attempted long-range strike marks a clear step forward in Iran’s capabilities, moving the threat from theoretical to credible.

Others caution that Iran’s operational missile arsenal has historically been limited to around 2,000 km, suggesting that any longer-range capability may still be experimental rather than deployable.

UK Government response

Ministers have sought to calm fears, insisting there is no current evidence that Iran has either the intent or the capability to strike the UK mainland.

At the same time, the government has condemned Iran’s actions as “reckless” and emphasised that Britain will work with allies to protect its interests.

That response reflects a broader reality.

Deterrence, not defence

Britain’s primary protection is not interception — it is deterrence.

Any successful strike on UK soil would almost certainly trigger a major NATO response, making such an attack extraordinarily risky for any adversary.

But deterrence does not eliminate vulnerability.

The bottom line

Pembrokeshire’s strategic importance has not changed — but the conversation around long-range threats has.

The UK can detect a missile. It can track it. It can coordinate with allies and attempt an interception at distance.

But when it comes to stopping it over Britain itself, there is no independent shield — only reliance on US and NATO systems being in the right place at the right time.

For communities built around critical infrastructure like Milford Haven, that raises a stark and uncomfortable question:

If the unthinkable ever became reality, who — if anyone — would be able to stop it?

Community

Milford Haven salon named national awards finalist

Published

1 hour ago

March 22, 2026

Tom Sinclair

A local beauty therapist earns recognition in prestigious UK competition

A MILFORD HAVEN beauty therapist has been shortlisted for a major national award celebrating excellence in the hair and beauty industry.

Charlotte Mitchell-Johns, of The Attic Hair & Beauty, has been named a finalist in the Hair Extensions Specialist category at the UK Hair and Beauty Awards 2026.

Ms Mitchell-Johns, who is a Level four beauty therapist, also works as a hair extensions specialist and beauty educator with HB Training.

Speaking about the recognition, she said she was “truly honoured” to be named among the finalists.

She added that she believes the industry thrives on collaboration rather than competition, and that supporting others is key to long-term success.

Ms Mitchell-Johns has been recognised for her technical skill, commitment to clients, and efforts to maintain high standards within the beauty sector.

The UK Hair and Beauty Awards highlight leading professionals from across the country, celebrating talent, creativity and dedication within the industry.

Crime

Child rapist found with abuse images after moving to west Wales

Published

1 hour ago

March 22, 2026

Rieve Nesbitt-Marr

Registered sex offender Wayne Evans, who moved to Carmarthenshire for a fresh start, was caught after the National Crime Agency flagged activity linked to a Kik account

A CONVICTED child rapist who moved to rural west Wales in an apparent attempt to start over was found with indecent images of children on his phone after his online activity was flagged by the National Crime Agency.

Wayne Evans, 59, of Pentrecourt Road, Llandysul, appeared before Swansea Crown Court after officers discovered the images during an investigation triggered by the NCA.

The court heard that in January last year, the NCA alerted Dyfed-Powys Police to a Kik messaging account involved in downloading indecent images of children. The email address linked to the account was already known to police and belonged to Evans, a registered sex offender.

Officers went to his home on January 28 and arrested him. Evans told police he had not downloaded the images himself and claimed they had appeared in a Kik group he was part of, adding that the group had since been shut down.

Police seized six devices from the property and Evans handed over the pin numbers for his phones and tablets. He later answered “no comment” to questions in interview and was released under investigation while the devices were examined.

A forensic analysis of his Samsung Galaxy phone uncovered 13 Category A images, eight Category B images and two Category C images. The material involved children aged between four and 12.

Category A images are considered the most serious and involve the gravest forms of sexual abuse.

The court was told Evans has six previous convictions covering 23 offences. In 1990, he was convicted of gross indecency with a child and indecent assault of a child. In 2002, he was jailed for 15 years for raping a child under 16, attempted rape, gross indecency and five further counts of indecent assault. He was placed on the sex offenders register for life and released from prison in 2011.

Evans had admitted three counts of making indecent images of children, covering Categories A, B and C.

Emily Bennett, representing Evans, said her client knew the court would view the offences in the “dimmest of lights”. She said he had moved to a rural part of Wales where he kept himself to himself and had taken steps to reduce his contact with females.

She also told the court Evans accepted that he still had an inappropriate sexual attraction to children, and said he was in a long-term stable relationship with a partner who knew about his past offending.

Sentencing Evans, Recorder Mark Powell KC said he accepted that the defendant had taken some steps to change his life, but said it was clear he continued to have a sexual interest in children.

The judge said his priority was to pass a sentence which reduced the risk Evans posed. He said an immediate prison term available under the guidelines would be relatively short, could be destabilising, and might even increase the danger to the public.

With credit for his guilty pleas, Evans was sentenced to 16 months in prison, suspended for 18 months. He was also ordered to complete a rehabilitation activity requirement, a Building Choices programme, and 100 hours of unpaid work.

A Sexual Harm Prevention Order was imposed for 10 years, and Evans will remain on the sex offenders register for life.

Photo caption:

Wayne Evans was sentenced at Swansea Crown Court after indecent images of children were found on his phone