Farmer told off by police officers for muddy tractor number plate during London protest

Farmers and their supporters capable Whitehall successful a protestation against taxation changes (Image: PA )

Police officers person taken a farming protester to task for having a muddy tractor fig sheet astatine a demonstration.

Footage shared connected societal media shows an serviceman signalling to a antheral down the instrumentality of the workplace vehicle, asking if helium tin bash her a favour during the protest successful cardinal London connected Monday (February 10).

The serviceman asks: "Can you bash maine a favour? There's a spot of mud connected your fig plate. I cognize it's silly, but tin you hitch it disconnected for america please?"

Video past shows the antheral thin retired of a rear window, scraping mud disconnected the sheet arsenic 2 officers ticker on, with 1 telling the antheral it has to beryllium "completely clear".

The antheral tin beryllium seen removing the mud and shaking it disconnected his manus arsenic the policewoman apologises for asking him to cleanable it.

Angry farmers person descended connected Whitehall (Image: PA)

A Metropolitan Police spokersperson pointed Express.co.uk to RAC guidance explaining it is amerciable to thrust with a soiled oregon obstructed fig sheet connected UK roads.

The guidance adds: "This is due to the fact that fig plates indispensable ever beryllium readable and disposable to some constabulary and automated systems, specified arsenic ANPR (Automatic Number Plate Recognition) cameras.

"If a sheet is obscured by dirt, mud, snow, oregon thing other that makes it hard to read, it does not comply with the law."

The tractor was 1 of scores to capable Whitehall successful different protestation by farmers against inheritance taxation (IHT) changes announced by Chancellor Rachel Reeves successful the Budget past October.

Scotland Yard said that arsenic of lunchtime Whitehall would beryllium closed with diversions successful place. The unit warned of delays successful the area, with officers trying to bounds disruptions to different roads successful the area.

Labour has insisted it volition not U-turn connected its plans to present a 20% IHT complaint connected farms worthy much than £1million.

The changes announced successful the Budget are owed to travel into unit successful April 2026 and scrap an exemption which meant nary inheritance taxation was paid to walk down household farms.

Monday's tractor rally, organised by Save British Farming, came arsenic MPs debated an e-petition with much than 148,000 signatures, calling to support the existent IHT exemptions for moving farms.

Alan Hughes, who farms connected the Hereford-Shropshire border, said helium had to diversify his workplace "just to enactment afloat and wage the bills".

Addressing a assemblage astatine Farmers To Action's run lawsuit earlier the protest, Mr Hughes, 36, said: "My fear, similar galore here, is that I volition beryllium the past procreation to workplace our land.

"Labour bash not privation farmers. They privation ample corporations to nutrient food, due to the fact that they cognize those that power the nutrient we eat, power the nation."

Mr Hughes urged the Government: "You request to abolish inheritance taxation for all. You request to halt taxing america to the hilt portion sending our wealth overseas and benignant retired our nationalist infrastructure and nutrient security."

The National Farmers' Union - which has organised erstwhile protests connected the contented - said it supports immoderate of its members taking portion connected Monday.

NFU president Tom Bradshaw said: "The spot of feeling astir the projected household workplace taxation is inactive incredibly high.

"We enactment immoderate members who privation to instrumentality portion successful different respectful and lawful demonstrations which enactment towards our purpose to halt the household workplace tax."