Fears ministers will axe pledge to serve British grown food in schools in fresh blow to farmers

A ROW has exploded implicit fears ministers volition ditch their pledge to service British grown nutrient successful schools successful the scramble for spending cuts.

The determination would beryllium a caller hammer stroke to farmers - who are already successful nationalist revolt aft being deed by monolithic taxation hikes.

Sir Keir Starmer promised that astatine slightest 50 per cent of nutrient served by the authorities would beryllium British grown oregon deed the aforesaid precocious standards.

His manifesto vow was seen arsenic a large boost for UK farmers by providing them with large caller customers.

But Whitehall sources admitted the pledge comes with a terms tag - and determination are fears it could beryllium chopped successful Rachel Reeves’ scramble for cuts.

Mo Metcalf-Fisher, from the Countryside Alliance, said: “The authorities made a invited committedness to alert the emblem for British farmers by serving home-grown nutrient successful its hospitals and schools.

“Any backsliding connected this pledge would beryllium different footwear successful the teeth for British farmers.

“Rachel Reeves and the authorities needs to accidental erstwhile it volition deed this 50 per cent people and however we volition get there.

“We cannot person different breached promise.”

Victoria Atkins, Tory Shadow Farming Secretary, said: “The authorities has already betrayed farmers by hiking their inheritance tax- they indispensable not betray them connected this too.”

Amid warnings Britain is heading for a 1970s benignant stagflation crisis, Chancellor Rachel Reeves has ordered each departments to find cuts.

The nutrient enactment comes arsenic hundreds of farmers hole to descend connected Parliament successful their tractors connected Monday to protestation astatine the household workplace tax.

Farmers accidental it volition mean thousands of them volition not beryllium capable to walk their plots connected to their kids and volition person to merchantability up to large overseas landowners.

Parliament volition statement a elephantine petition calling for the Budget measurement to beryllium axed.

A spokesperson for the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs said: “The Government is committed to utilizing the Government’s ain purchasing powerfulness to backmost British produce, with an ambition for 50 per cent of nutrient successful hospitals, service bases and prisons to beryllium section oregon produced to precocious biology standards.

“As a important archetypal measurement to present connected our manifesto commitment, the Government volition present show wherever nutrient bought by the nationalist assemblage comes from.”