Farmers’ protest live: Jeremy Clarkson warns inheritance tax ‘the end’ for farmers as thousands march in fury
Farmers from across the country have travelled to London this morning to join protests over changes to inheritance tax rules
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Your support makes all the difference.Jeremy Clarkson has urged the Labour government to “please back down” as he warned that the proposed inheritance tax hikes could be “the end” for farmers.
He has joined farmers for a large-scale protest in London on Tuesday to urge the government to change course over its plans, which have been described as a “stab in the back”.
First unveiled in chancellor Rachel Reeves’s Budget, the plans to impose inheritance tax on farms worth more than £1m have sparked fury among rural communities, who have contested the government’s assertion that small family farms will not be impacted by the changes.
The National Farmers’ Union (NFU) has organised an event in which 1,800 of its members will meet with local MPs at Westminster to voice their anger on Tuesday, as thousands are also separately expected to stage a demonstration in Whitehall.
NFU president Tom Bradshaw said an estimated 75 per cent of commercial farm businesses “were caught in the eye of this storm” of a policy which will “rip the heart of family farms”.
The government argues that tax exemptions have led to wealthy non-farmers seizing agricultural land and pricing out genuine young farmers, and point to Budget funding of £5bn to help farmers produce food.
Interview with young farmer helping with food donations at protest
Starmer warned Labour faces wipeout of rural MPs in farm tax backlash ahead of protest
Labour faces a wipeout of rural MPs, Sir Keir Starmer has been warned, as tens of thousands of farmers prepare to march on London in protest over the government’s Budget changes to inheritance tax.
The party’s landslide election victory saw Labour MPs elected across 114 rural constituencies.
But Labour peer Baroness Ann Mallalieu has told The Independent that chancellor Rachel Reeves’s measure to abolish inheritance tax exemptions for some farms has caused uproar, with her party facing angry claims of betrayal among farmers and rural campaigners.
Read the full article here:
Starmer warned Labour faces rural MPs wipeout in farm tax backlash ahead of protest
Exclusive: As tens of thousands of farmers prepare to march on London in protest over inheritance tax measures, Labour Baroness Ann Mallalieu issues a stark warning to the prime minister
Toy tractors pictured in Westminster
Toy tractors have been seen ready to lead the protest through Westminster, a scaled down version after organisers deterred farmers from bringing their own to London.
“Their not as big as the French tractors but hopefully they get the message”, one farmer says. “That’s the idea anyway”.
Traffic holds up farmers
We left Cirencester at 5.30am, and just passing Buckingham Palace now, around 10 minutes from our destination of Tothill Street, which is a five minute walk from Church House; the meeting point for the mass lobby.
“Almost there,” says Chris Farr, NFU Gloucestershire county adviser, who tells farmers on board to stick together when getting off to avoid anyone getting lost.
Members have been individually briefed ahead of meeting MPs at the mass lobby shortly.
What’s happening in London today?
Thousands of farmers are heading to London on November 19 to demonstrate against Labour’s upcoming changes to how agricultural property is taxed.
Two separate events are due to take place in central London on what promises to be a lively day.
The largest is an independent rally organised by several high-profile farmers. The group has not revealed how many have registered their interest, but it is estimated that between 10,000 and 40,000 people will attend.
The organisers include farmers Clive Bailye, Olly Harrison, Martin Williams, Andrew Ward and James Mills, several of whom have been sharing details their social media channels.
Mr Harrison told his 120,000 followers that the rally is “all about landing the message that farmers produce the nation’s food and we cannot afford this ludicrous inheritance tax change.”
Those who are interested in attending are being asked to gather at Richmond Terrace in Whitehall from 11am. There will then be a short procession to Parliament Square which will return to the start location.
Organisers say that a “number of children on toy tractors” will lead the procession, desinged to highlight “the impact of the devastating budget on the future of farming and the countryside.”
The rally will end with addresses from several speakers including National Farmers’ Union (NFU) president, Tom Bradshaw. TV presenter Jeremy Clarkson – an outspoken farm owner himself – is also expected to make an appearance.
The event complements a ‘mass lobby,’ which was arranged first, organised by the NFU. This is not a protest or march, but will bring together thousands of farmers with MPs at Church House in Westminster, just a 10 minute walk from the rally.
What NFU members will tell MPs at mass lobby
Coach-loads of farmers are arriving in London this morning to speak to MPs on Labour’s Budget as part of a mass lobby.
I’ve seen the briefing to members which lays out the “key messages”.
They are:
- HM Treasury is working from the wrong figures - this is based on calculations by The Treasury that less than 500 farms will be impacted by the change inheritance tax for farmers each year.
- Food security is national security - NFU says the change will mean farmers will need to sell off land which they say will reduce food production across the UK.
- APR (agricultural property relief) is not a loophole - the NFU says it protects family farms from being sold and broken up.
NFU statement on wider protest
As pictures emerge of tractors arriving in Westminster ahead of a wider protest by farmers, the NFU, which is holding its own mass lobby of MPs, has issued a statement.
It read: “We are aware of the rally being planned. It’s not surprising with so many farmers up and down the country keen to ensure their voices heard and we wish them well in that.
“While some NFU members are likely to attend, there will also be non-NFU members there, and the NFU is not organising it.”
Possibility farmers will strike over inheritance tax changes
A fourth-generation family farmer said there is a possibility he and other farmers will strike if changes to agricultural property relief are not reversed.
Richard Wainwright, 58, from Halifax, West Yorkshire, was at Church House Conference Centre in central London on Tuesday morning ahead of a meeting with the National Farmers’ Union (NFU).
Mr Wainwright, whose grandfather began farming with a few cows and delivered milk to the surrounding area, said: “We are talking about possibly striking. I hope it doesn’t come to that because that’s seriously going to impact the food chain.”
On the impact on his farm, he said: “We’ve got to possibly sell a 20% share of the farmland to be able to cover the tax bill. For us it’s around £600,000 we are going to have to pay.
“It’s like I’m going to have to buy my own farm back.”
Reeves says farmers must help fund NHS as she refuses to back down ahead of mass protest
Rachel Reeves has refused to back down over the planned extension of inheritance tax to agricultural properties, telling farmers they must pay their share to fund public services including the NHS.
Her remarks come despite thousands of farmers descend on London for a major protest on Tuesday, held alongside a mass lobby of MPs in Westminster where National Farmers’ Union (NFU) president Tom Bradshaw is expected to say that the betrayal on the tax changes is extraordinary.
The union chief will warn that farms producing the country’s food will need to be broken up and sold as a result of the policy, “because farmers simply won’t have the money to pay this tax any other way”.
Read the full article here:
Reeves says farmers must help fund NHS ahead of mass protest
Chancellor says farmers must pay ‘fair share’ as thousands descend on London for a major demonstration
Met police issue statement ahead of wider protes
A Met Police spokesperson said: “We have had positive discussions with the protest organisers who have confirmed their event will begin at Richmond Terrace, off Whitehall, at 11am on Tuesday.
“There will be speeches, before a procession to nearby Parliament Square.
“We will have officers deployed in the vicinity to ensure the event takes place safely, lawfully and in a way that prevents serious disruption.”
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