Why our landed gentry are so desperate to stayin the EU | Giles Fraser: Loose canon

The common agricultural policy takes from the poor and gives to the rich. Its effects can be felt in every British household, and seen in the deadly waters of the Mediterranean too

The estate agent Carter Jonas established its reputation running the estates of the Marquess of Lincolnshire. "Some of the biggest property owners in the country are our loyal clients," boasts its website. And, in a recent poll of these landowning clients, 67% of them said that Britain should stay in the EU.

So why all this Euro-enthusiasm in the Tory heartlands and among the landed gentry? "Should the UK vote to leave the EU, the CAP subsidies will likely be reduced," Tim Jones, head of Carter Jonas's rural division, explained. Thank you, Tim, for putting it so clearly. We understand.

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