Farmers’ protest live: NFU leader fights back tears as tractors block Westminster over inheritance tax rise
Hundreds of farmers blocked Whitehall outside Parliament as Sir Keir Starmer also answered prime minister’s questions on the sensitive issue
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Your support makes all the difference.The president of the National Farmers’ Union fought back tears as he explained the impact of tax changes on farmers to MPs, as a noisy protest by farmers took place nearby.
Tom Bradshaw appeared emotional as he told the Commons Environment Committee of the “more severe human impacts” the policy could have, including the risk of farmers taking their own lives.
Under the changes to inheritance tax in Rachel Reeves’ Budget, a 20 per cent levy will be charged on agricultural assets worth more than £1m.
Mr Bradshaw said: “It’s not money. This is a lifetime of work, its the heritage and the custodianship of their farm.”
He gave evidence as hundreds of farmers gathered in Westminster with their tractors in a second protest in as many months against Labour’s plan.
Whitehall was blocked with the parked tractors before a slow procession took place of Westminster as part of the day of action organised by Save British Farming and Kent Fairness for Farmers.
But Sir Keir Starmer appeared resolute on Labour’s policy when questioned during prime minister’s questions.
The prime minister said: “In a typical family case, the threshold is £3m so the vast majority of farms will be unaffected, despite the fear mongering of the party opposite.”
Rachel Reeves has refused to engage over inheritance tax changes - NFU claims
Tom Bradshaw, National Farmers’ Union president, said the chancellor has refused to engage in concerns over the proposed inheritance tax changes as farming leaders said they had no formal consultation before the Budget.
Mr Bradshaw told the Environment Committee today that everyone would work together to close any loophole, but added: “Until we know what the exam question is it’s very difficult. We’ve had multiple meetings since then, up to the Prime Minister. The Chancellor until then has refused to engage.”
He also said: “We did get wind that something was being discussed the Wednesday before the Budget and at that point we went public with our campaign to MPs. But there was no formal consultation at all.”
Robert Martin, national chairman at the Tenant Farmers Association (TFA), said they also made representations.
“We weren’t able to get in to see Rachel Reeves which would have been a huge help to us,” he said.
Tractor procession to start moving ‘shortly'
This picture released in a tweet by Met Police shows the scale of tractors that have arrived for the slow procession around Westminster, it starts at 12.45pm.
No good news for protesting farmers from Keir Starmer - analysis
Keir Starmer stood up at PMQs in the knowledge that just yards from where he was standing farmers on tractors were protesting his “family farm tax”.
They had been noisily making their presence felt outside parliament for hours – in the hopes of putting pressure on the prime minister to change tax and scrap his inheritance tax raid.
But the Labour leader had no good news for them.
Tackled on the issue by Lib Dem leader Ed Davey, he stuck to the government’s line telling MPs “the vast majority of farmers will be unaffected, despite the scaremongering from the party opposite (the Conservatives)”.
Starmer slams opposition parties for ‘fear mongering’ over tractor tax
Here we go then. Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey asks Sir Keir Starmer if he will “change course and recognise the vital role that family farms play” as hundreds of farmers protest with their tractors outside Parliament.
The prime minister accuses opposition parties of fear mongering over the controversial tractor tax.
Responding at prime minister’s questions, Sir Keir said: “In a typical family case, the threshold is £3m so the vast majority of farms will be unaffected, despite the fear mongering of the party opposite.”
However, just minutes earlier at the Environment and Rural Affairs Committee, National Farmers Union chief Tom Bradshaw said he estimates that 75 per cent of farms will be hit by the levy.
Outside PMQs farmers chant ‘no farmers, no food'
The number of farmers and tractors has swelled near Westminster, with farmers at the head of the protest chanting “no farmers, no food”.
But no question to Sir Keir Starmer on farming just yet.
Welsh farmer and YouTuber Gareth Wyn Jones said the inheritance tax change would destroy British farming.
“A lot of these farms aren’t profitable as it is,” he said.
“I think we’ll see bankruptcies and we’ll see less food on the ground.”
Badenoch and Starmer help Farage again - analysis
This is the most tetchy PMQs since Kemi Badenoch became Tory leader.
She still believes that immigration is a good attack line but is hamstrung by the Tory failures on controlling either legal or illegal migrants.
The reason this is now at the top of the agenda is that Keir Starmer’s “Plan for Change” last week did not prioritise the issue.
Added to that his work as a lawyer and opposition shadow minister opposing controls on illegal migration and deportations still makes it difficult for Starmer to defend his record.
In truth though the one person who might be quietly smiling in the Commons during these exchanges is Nigel Farage whose main focus is immigration.
The two main party leaders trashing each other’s reputation on the issue reinforces his claims that Labour and the Tories have failed the country.
Sir Keir begins by welcoming fall of Assad’s regime in Syria
Sir Keir Starmer begins Wednesday’s Prime Minister’s Questions by “welcoming” the fall of Syrian president Bashar Assad.
He tells the Commons: “Can I start by welcoming the fall of Assad? The people of Syria suffered for far too long under his brutal regime.
“What comes next is far from certain. We’ve been talking to regional and global allies to ensure that it is a political solution which protects civilians and minorities, and absolutely rejects terrorism and violence.”
Loophole used by super rich to avoid tractor tax unavailable to many family farms
Most family farms will not be able to benefit from a loophole that is used by the super rich to avoid inheritance tax, meaning smaller estates are likely to be hit especially hard by the government’s tax raid.
In order to avoid being hit with the levy, a widely used tactic by people facing inheritance tax is to pass down assets seven years before death - but many family farms will be unable to do so as a result of the ‘gifts with reservation’ clause.
The clause means that if a farmer passes down their estate but still benefits from it by either living on the property or using the returns to fund their lifestyle, they will still be taxed on it.
However, wealthy investors who have bought up farmland are unlikely to be living on the property, meaning they can pass down the assets and benefit from the loophole.
Read more here:
Loophole used by super rich to avoid tractor tax unavailable to family farms
Many family farms will be unable to benefit from a widely used tax loophole to avoid inheritance tax
What’s happening at the scene of protest now
I’m looking at hundreds of tractors lined up now in Whitehall from Great George Road, where Parliament sits, to Trafalgar Square.
Many are flying British flags and displaying homemade signs. One reads: “We can live without politicians but we can’t live without food.”
The road is closed with police standing at either side of the closure.
The atmosphere is friendly with many farmers bringing their families to the protest.
Although the road is closed, people are still able to walk around the tractors. Many are chatting to the farmers, along with dozens of journalists.
‘Budget really spells the death knell for British farming'
Organiser Liz Webster says farmers are protesting because after decades of government neglect, add that the latest budget is a disaster.
“This latest budget really spells the death knell for British farming as we know it,” she said.
Ms Webster expects more than 500 tractors will eventually show up.
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