To my amazement, our place was recently valued at £3.5 million. It’s a tribute to all the hard work, expense and loving restoration work that has gone into it over three decades. It also puts us firmly in the sights of Rachel Reeves and the “mansion tax” , strongly rumoured to be introduced in her 26 November Budget, which will impose an annual 1 per cent levy on any property worth over £2 million.

Outsiders spying a substantial house like ours probably assume we are rolling and think “Rich bastards! They deserve everything they get!” In fact, as entrepreneurs and business owners, we have shouldered huge risks, experiencing much loss and failure along with the successes, en route to our current difficult situation. And if our recent valuation proves accurate, and the Chancellor introd

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