Farmers to stage Westminster protest as anger over inheritance tax changes continues
Widespread disruption is expected on Wednesday as farmers across the UK protest on planned changes to inheritance tax, as Good Morning Britain's Richard Gaisford reports
Hundreds of farmers will protest in Westminster on Wednesday as they continue to express anger over changes to inheritance tax.
In October, Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced inheritance tax of 20% will apply to combined agricultural and business property worth more than £1 million - the standard rate of inheritance tax applied to other land and property is 40%.
The government insists its support for the sector is “steadfast” and says the changes announced in the Budget were "necessary".
The “RIP British Farming” protest has been organised by Kent Fairness for Farmers and Save British Farming, in response to what it calls the “toxic” Budget, which included changes to inheritance tax for agricultural businesses and a faster phaseout of European Union (EU) era subsidies in favour of environmental payments.
After 13,000 people rallied in Westminster against the Budget last month, tractors are expected to travel into the capital from across the country, including from Exmoor, Shropshire, Somerset and the home counties, for the latest protest.
The protest comes as the government publishes a report on Wednesday analysing the state of UK food security.
Elsewhere, MPs on the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee will hear from countryside and farming leaders and financial experts on the impacts of the changes to inheritance tax.
Ahead of the protest, the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said it had put £343 million into the rural economy last week, in payments for nature-friendly farming activities, benefiting more than 31,000 farmers.
Defra also announced new details of its environmental land management schemes, which pay farmers for “public goods”, ranging from healthy soil, rivers and hedgerows, to habitat creation and large-scale nature restoration work.
Environment Secretary Steve Reed insisted “our commitment to farmers is steadfast”, as he said the cash was part of a £5 billion two-year farming budget, which was “the largest ever directed at sustainable food production in our country’s history”.
His comments echoed those of Downing Street ahead of the latest protest.
Asked if Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer was concerned farmers could get more militant and restrict food supplies, a spokesman for the PM said: “We have been very clear we are not going to change course on this policy.
“It was necessary to take tough decisions at the Budget and the spending review and those decisions remain.
“But our commitment to farmers is steadfast and our message to farmers is clear, that is why we provided £5 billion to the farming budget over two years including more money than ever for sustainable food production.”
Last month an estimated 13,000 people gathered in Westminster to protest against the Budget’s impact on farming, with composer Andrew Lloyd Webber, TV personality Jeremy Clarkson and leading politicians Kemi Badenoch, Sir Ed Davey and Nigel Farage among them.
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