Government accused of ‘hammer blow’ to farmers as thousands protest in London

Tens of thousands of farmers gathered astatine Whitehall successful bitterly acold conditions for a large protestation against "cruel" changes to inheritance tax which they accidental volition cripple household farms.

On the coldest time of the twelvemonth - which saw snowfall autumn successful Westminster - much than 20,000 radical from each corners of the federation gathered to impulse the Government to scrap the alleged "tractor tax".

Jeremy Clarkson, Conservative person Kemi Badenoch, and Lib Dem person Sir Ed Davey were among those who addressed the shivering crowd, on with farmers who spoke passionately astir the fears for their livelihoods.

Around 20,000 radical had been expected astatine the rally, but that fig had been surpassed by 11am, constabulary astatine the country told The Standard, and plans for a abbreviated protestation march were scrapped implicit information concerns.

A monolithic assemblage greeted erstwhile Top Gear star-turned-farmer Mr Clarkson with roaring cheers arsenic helium took the signifier - having battled backmost symptom to marque the protest.

He said portion radical crossed the state "took a spot of a footwear connected the shin" pursuing the caller Budget, farmers "got a genu successful the nuts and a hammer stroke to the backmost of the head."

"For the involvement of everybody present and each the farmers stuck astatine home, paralysed by a fog of despair implicit what's been foisted connected them, I beg of the authorities to beryllium big," helium said successful his speech.

"To accept that this was rushed though, it wasn't thought out, and it was a mistake. That's the large happening to do. Admit it, and backmost down."

Labour person said the changes to inheritance taxation connected farming onshore and instrumentality volition interaction less than 400 farms a twelvemonth but that fig is simply a taxable of fierce dispute.

Ms Badenoch and Sir Ed besides gave speeches powerfully criticising the Labour government.

The changes, announced by Chancellor Rachel Reeves successful past month's Budget, bounds the existing 100 per cent alleviation for farms to lone the archetypal £1 cardinal of combined cultivation and concern property.

The National Farmers' Union (NFU) says farms producing the country’s nutrient volition request to beryllium breached up and sold arsenic a effect of the policy.

Hundreds of NFU members met astatine Westminster earlier connected Tuesday to lobby MPs against the shake-up.

Addressing the Whitehall protestation connected Tuesday afternoon, Ms Badenoch slammed the changes arsenic "cruel and wrong", informing they volition "destroy farming arsenic we cognize it”.

She vowed the Conservatives would reverse it "at the earliest opportunity", telling crowds: "I privation you to cognize that we person your backs."

Sir Ed besides blasted the taxation arsenic "not lone cruel but stupid", telling farmers: "You're feeding our families and you're struggling to provender your own, and that is conscionable truthful wrong."

Reform UK person Nigel Farage was besides astatine Tuesday's protest.

Labour adjacent Baroness Ann Mallalieu, who has spoken against the connection successful the House of Lords, told protesters she feared of the governmental ramifications of ostracising farmers and agrarian voters.

"As things basal nary governmental enactment successful this state tin triumph a moving bulk without agrarian seats," she said successful a speech.

"This is not conscionable a numerical miscalculation, but a superior governmental 1 too."

The thousands gathered besides heard from moving farmers including Claire Wise, a fifth-generation husbandman from Durham.

"Last twelvemonth I struggled to bargain schoolhouse shoes for our children aft harvest, due to the fact that farmers are currency affluent but plus poor," the mother-of-three said successful her impassioned speech.

"For 5 generations, for 139 years, for 50,375 days, done 2 satellite wars, done household tragedy, done a Covid epidemic, my household turned up to nutrient nutrient each azygous day.

"You destruct maine and excavation and you rip the bosom enactment of the countryside, and propulsion nutrient prices up," she said, increasing emotional.

"Buckle up, Starmer, due to the fact that you're not gonna triumph this fight," she concluded to a roar of cheers.

Signs speechmaking 'Keir Starver', 'no farmers, nary future' and 'don't wound the manus that feeds you' were held aloft supra a oversea of level caps, tweed and waxed jackets that filled Whitehall, tailing backmost to Parliament Square.

As the talks ended, groups began chanting "Starmer is simply a traitor" and "no farmers, nary food".

Farmers and their household members of each ages travelled to London for the protestation - from aged men with walking sticks to children arsenic young arsenic 9 weeks old, representing the adjacent procreation of farmers - who it is feared volition endure the astir arsenic a effect of the taxation changes.

Kieron Goodall-Lomax, who travelled from Derbyshire with his spouse Scarlett and their six-year-old lad Jonty told The Standard: "It's a authorities which doesn't recognize the countryside and is determined to rob the aboriginal generations of an opportunity, and it's astir clip they listened.

"He said the taxation changes volition "completely interruption up household farms and truly enactment a batch of unit connected an manufacture that's already nether facing rather a batch of difficulties".

Jack Greenaway, a third-generation dairy husbandman from Devon, told The Standard: "I deliberation Labour's caller argumentation is going to hitch retired a ample percent of the nutrient successful England.

"Farmers aren't going to beryllium capable to spend to walk connected their farms. It's generations of cognition passed down betwixt each other...this is our homes, I've lived determination my full life, truthful has my father, my grandfather. We're not going to person a accidental to transportation connected farming.

"It's going to beryllium devastating."

He added that helium fears the determination volition spot nutrient prices "rocketing up" successful England.

Downing Street defended the taxation changes connected Tuesday.

A spokesperson said: “Farmers are the stewards of our countryside and we bash not underestimate their important publication to the system and besides our agrarian economy."

The Prime Minister has spoken astir his idiosyncratic committedness to farmers, evident from the accrued £5 cardinal enactment we’ve committed implicit 2 years successful the Budget.

“When it comes to the decisions that we’ve taken, we’ve not taken these lightly, but the Government inherited a £22 cardinal achromatic spread successful the nationalist finances and we had to instrumentality hard decisions to rebalance the nationalist finances and besides guarantee we’re supporting the nationalist services that everyone relies on, farmers and families successful agrarian communities included.

“As to the changes, we support that they are balanced and proportionate and that lone astir 500 claims a twelvemonth are expected to beryllium affected.”

She said this investigation was based connected accusation from HMRC and “the existent claims for cultivation spot relief”.

“We would impulse caution astir calculations that are done based connected the worth of assets alone. Other factors lend to inheritance tax... that’s wherefore our calculations are based connected existent claims that person been made.

“We don’t underestimate the concerns and the spot of feeling, and we privation to proceed to person a dialog with farmers and pass however this works and perceive to immoderate concerns.”