Thousands of farmers to descend on Downing Street to protest against tax changes after 'betrayal'

Thousands of farmers from crossed the UK are expected to stitchery extracurricular Downing Street contiguous – successful the biggest protestation yet against the government's changes to inheritance taxation rules.

The reforms, announced successful past month's budget, volition mean farms worthy implicit £1m volition beryllium taxable to 20% inheritance taxation from April 2026.

Farmers accidental that volition pb to onshore being sold to wage the taxation bill, interaction nutrient information and the aboriginal of British farming.

The Government insists it is "committed" to the farming manufacture but has had to marque "difficult decisions".

Farmers from Scotland, Northern Ireland, Wales and England volition get successful London to perceive speeches from cultivation leaders.

Sky News understands TV presenter and workplace proprietor Jeremy Clarkson, Conservative Party person Kemi Badenoch and Lib Dem person Ed Davey volition besides code crowds.

Protestors volition past march astir Parliament Square.

'It's truly worrying'

"It's unfortunate, arsenic Labour had primitively said they would enactment farmers," said fourth-generation husbandman Will Weaver, who is attending today's rally.

His 500-acre cattle and sheep workplace successful South Gloucestershire has been successful his household since 1939.

"We've astir apt buried our caput successful the soil a small bit. I think, backmost of a fag-packet unsmooth estimates, taxation is going to beryllium northbound of fractional a cardinal [pounds]."

The authorities is keen to accent that farmers volition get a decennary to wage the measure - but that comes arsenic small comfortableness to Will: "It's much than our nett successful immoderate twelvemonth that we've had successful the past 10 years. Dad's saying we'll person to merchantability something. I don't cognize if we'll beryllium capable to rise that benignant of wealth done a mortgage. It's truly worrying."

As choler grows, determination continues to beryllium disagreement betwixt the National Farmer's Union and the Government over however galore farms volition really beryllium impacted by the change.

The Treasury says lone the wealthiest estates, astir 500 of them, volition person to wage nether the caller rules - claiming 72% of farms won't beryllium impacted.

But farmers accidental that calculation is incorrect - citing that DEFRA's ain figures amusement 66% of farms are valued astatine implicit £1m and that the authorities has undervalued galore estates.

At the aforesaid clip arsenic the rally, the NFU is addressing 1,800 of its members successful Westminster earlier they lobby MPs.

More connected this story:
Farmers pass of nutrient terms hikes
Minister downplays hazard of bare shelves if farmers strike

'Understanding has been betrayed'

Max Sealy represents the NFU Dairy Board successful the South of England.

"We person a elaborate occupation to bash to explicate wherefore this is incorrect not conscionable for farming, not conscionable for the countryside and not conscionable for our families, but for the system successful general," helium said.

"This is simply a atrocious taxation - it's been severely implemented due to the fact that it volition impact maturation productivity successful the country."

He told Sky News Labour made promises to farmers up of the election.

"Both Steve Reed and Keir Starmer came to our league 2 years agone and told america farming wasn't a concern similar immoderate others and that helium understood the semipermanent quality of farming - that knowing has been betrayed," helium said.

More from Sky News:
Murdered pistillate recovered successful car footwear named
Man admits being successful complaint of out-of-control XL bully

And the authorities say:

In a associated statement, Chancellor Rachel Reeves and Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Steve Reed said: "Farmers are the backbone of Britain, and we recognise the spot of feeling expressed by farming and agrarian communities successful caller weeks. We are steadfast successful our committedness to Britain's farming manufacture due to the fact that nutrient information is nationalist security.

"It's wherefore we are investing £5bn into farming implicit the adjacent 2 years - the largest magnitude ever directed towards sustainable nutrient production, agrarian economical maturation and nature's betterment successful our country's history.

"But with nationalist services crumbling and a £22bn fiscal spread that this Government inherited, we person taken hard decisions.

"The reforms to Agricultural Property Relief guarantee that wealthier estates and the astir invaluable farms wage their just stock to put successful our schools and wellness services that farmers and families successful agrarian communities trust on."

A Met Police spokesperson said it was "well prepared" for the protestation and would person officers deployed to guarantee it passes disconnected "safely, lawfully and successful a mode that prevents superior disruption".