Farmer protest latest: Jeremy Clarkson begs Labour to 'back down' on inheritance tax

Labour is "absolutely not" engaged in a class war, the prime minister has said.

Sir Keir Starmer was asked by Sky News' political editor Beth Rigby if the changes to inheritance tax and putting VAT on private school fees show the new government is looking to wage a "class war" on wealthier people.

The prime minister said he is "absolutely not" taking part in such action.

Read the full story from Sky News.

Father-of-two Andy Caston praised Jeremy Clarkson for getting the public to sympathise with the plight of farmers like him

"Because of his celebrity status, he has got it out to the general public," the second-generation farmer from Norfolk said.

"The public are so removed from where food comes from these days. Clarkson's not just a farmer, but he's really picked up farming.

"He could plough loads of money into his farm, but he hasn't. He has found out it's bloody tough. We would like to hope [today] has done something good. This won't be the end of it if they don't change."

Fellow Norfolk farmer Richard Kittle agreed, saying Clarkson has "got a great way of communicating with the public".

Labour repeatedly ruled out an inheritance tax raid on farmers before the general election.

Steve Reed, then the shadow environment secretary, said it was “desperate nonsense” to claim he was planning to scrap tax breaks for agricultural workers weeks before the vote on July 4.

He also told a rural conference last year that he had “no intention” of changing inheritance tax rules for farmland if his party won the keys to No 10.

Read the full story from The Telegraph.

A young farmer said his family are facing a “lottery on death” because of the Treasury's reforms.

Oliver Atkinson, 28, a mixed farmer who grows crops and keeps livestock in East Hampshire, said changes to inheritance tax on farms will be “a huge burden”.

“We are here not just for the inheritance act, but there’s a lot of other things that the public don’t know about that the government has brought in like a carbon tax on fertiliser, which grows 40% of the world’s food. We can’t do without it. There are TB issues, there’s the inheritance tax which will be a huge burden.”

Mr Atkinson, who is a fifth-generation family farmer, said: “There is a lottery on death. I farm with my brother – if one of us dies early, then half the farm technically would then get a 20% tax.”

Norfolk farmers Andy Caston and Richard Kittle had missed most of the excitement of the protest after meeting with their local MP, Ben Goldsborough.

Kittle, 62, who runs an arable farm in South Norfolk that his grandfather had passed down after emigrating from Australia during the depression of the 1930s, said he was "pleasantly surprised" and that Goldsborough "seemed to have a good grasp of the situation and was not necessarily taking the Treasury line".

He says Goldsborough "had no idea what the Treasury was going to do" but said he "got an inkling a week before". Caston, 60, added: "He sort of promised to fight our corner."

Many farmers protesting in Westminster today are "wrong" about the government's new inheritance tax policy, environment and rural affairs secretary Steve Reed has said.

Appearing before MPs in the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee, Reed was told there are “a lot more than 500 (farmers) here saying they’re going to be affected” and asked whether they were wrong.

He replied: “Well, assuming these projections from HMRC, validated by the OBR and IFS, are correct then many of them, probably happily, are wrong because there are things that they can do to plan their tax affairs as most businesses or asset owners would do to limit their liability."

Reed said critics have taken figures from Defra, based on the value of farms, and have "drawn a straight line to an inheritance tax liability", adding: "You can’t do that because ownership is much more complex than one person, one farm."

As thousands of farmers were protesting in London, Environment Secretary Steve Reed went on the offensive in defending reforms to the levy.

He tweeted: “Half of farmland sold last year went to non-farmers including wealthy individuals trying to avoid inheritance tax.

“It’s right that tax changes will ensure everyone pays their fair share - and young farmers can realise their dream of buying their own farm.”

Read the full story from the London Standard

A farmer’s daughter said changes to agricultural inheritance tax will prevent her and her brother from taking over their family farm as they would "have to sell up" to pay the bill.

“It’s something we’ve both been passionate about from when we were little kids, ever since we could walk, always been involved – it’s a lifestyle," said Jen, from Yorkshire, who did not give her surname.

The 24-year-old said they would have to pay approximately £1.2 million if the government does not scrap the tax changes, having spoken to her family's accountant and solicitors.

“The logistics of it for us to keep going just isn’t financially viable at all, even with an outside job, you still wouldn’t be able to bring in enough money to be able to pay that off," she added.

The prime minister said he "gets" farmers' concerns over inheritance tax changes as he shook off suggestions the Labour Party is "too urban".

"My first job was on a farm, I grew up in the countryside, all of my entire family live in the countryside, and we are a rural family. I am the only one who lives in a city," he told GB News.

"I do get it... But I also do know that it matters to rural communities that we are investing in their NHS, they rely on it just as much as anyone in a town or a city."

Farmers will still be able to enjoy tax advantages after the government's changes come into effect, a Labour MP has said.

In a post on X, MP for Swansea West, Torsten Bell, said that no inheritance tax would be due for passing on a farm of up to £3m.

However, as the government explains on its website, full 100% relief on inheritance tax will be restricted to the first £1m of combined agricultural and business property, while the £3m threshold will apply to married couples based on spousal exemptions.

Sean McAuley, who travelled with his son from Ballymena in Northern Ireland to join today's protest, has accused the government of being "totally out of touch" with rural communities.

"This inheritance tax has really put the nail in the coffin for farming families," he said. The 60-year-old farmer added: "How can they portray all of the green credentials and then ignore their own farmers and import food from all over the world?

"Rural communities are being decimated. We are losing a lot of our services in Northern Ireland and it's not acceptable. We could see food shortages if we are not careful."

Labour is "absolutely not" engaged in a class war, the prime minister has said.

Sir Keir Starmer was asked by Sky News' political editor Beth Rigby if the changes to inheritance tax and putting VAT on private school fees shows the new government is looking to wage a "class war" on wealthier people.

He was asked about his position as thousands of farmers protested in Westminster over the changes to inheritance tax - which Sir Keir said will only impact a "typical" case with estates worth more than £3m.

Read the full story from Sky News

A procession of young children billed as the "next generation" of farmers skirted Parliament Square on toy tractors during this afternoon's protests.

The children had been due to lead a march, but organisers said this had been called off after the Met Police told them there were "too many" of them.

One young boy, with a numberplate of "Henry", had the slogan "Born to Farm" on the back of his tractor.

With the official demonstration now winding down, here are some of our latest pictures from the scene in Westminster.

The official farmers protest has come to an end and the crowd is now dispersing, the Metropolitan Police has said.

The National Farmers' Union had called the main protest in Westminster today, however, farmers had planned a splinter demonstration after the NFU limited numbers.

The Metropolitan Police has responded to reports of farmers driving tractors over its barriers.

Jeremy Clarkson lashed out at BBC presenter Victoria Derbyshire in Westminster after she asked if he'd bought his farm to avoid paying inheritance tax. "Classic BBC there... unbelievable," he said.

Jeremy Clarkson told of a "fog of despair" engulfing the farming industry as he urged the government to think again on its inheritance tax changes.

Speaking on stage, the TV presenter responded to the government's claim that 72% of farms would be unaffected by the inheritance tax changes. He called on the crowd to raise their hands if they're part of a family farm and expect to be impacted, adding: "Thank you, my case rests."

He added: "I beg of the government to be big, to accept that this was rushed through, it wasn't thought out and it's a mistake. That's the big thing to do - admit it and back down."

The Treasury says only 500 of the UK's 209,000 farms will be affected by the tax changes, but this has been disputed by the National Farmers' Union, which says the number is closer to two-thirds. The Country Land and Business Association says 70,000 farms could be affected.

Rural affairs secretary Steve Reed has said the "vast majority" of farmers will pay no more under the new inheritance tax scheme than under the current system.

Speaking to protesters in Westminster, Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has said her party "understands the burden that farmers are carrying".

"A lot of people think that farming is just a business. It is not just a business, it is a way of life. It is about family, it is about the land, it is about the environment, it is about our food," she said.

"We cannot survive without you, I want you to know that we have your backs."

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage was received warmly by onlookers as he arrived at today's protest in Whitehall.

Last week the MP for Clacton told GB News viewers: "Don't underestimate the fury of farmers... Back in 2000, there was a big, big farmers' protest. They blockaded refineries all over the country in a protest at the price of fuel."

Speaking to reporters in Whitehall today, Jeremy Clarkson asked: "Who here is going to be unaffected by these changes? No one."

Farmers have previously warned that if the changes force some farmers to sell their land, it could push food prices up, as there is no guarantee the land would continue to be used for food production.

The government wants farmers to pay the tax on assets above £1m apiece at a new rate of 20 per cent - less than the 40 per cent most others will pay. Yet before the Budget, they paid nothing on land under agricultural property relief with no limit.

The allowance comes on top of the £500,000 a typical homeowner gets if they leave their home to their children or grandchildren, so a married couple can shelter up to £3m from HMRC, a sum which will exclude most farms.

The government claims that the biggest 500 farm estates in the UK will pay the tax per year, with smaller farms “not affected.”

Read the full story from the Independent

A YouGov poll has found that Britons would support farmers in a supposed strike over inheritance tax changes.

The polling company found 52% of the British public would back such a move, compared to 24% opposing it, and 20% saying they are unsure.

The Metropolitan Police has said an excess of 10,000 people are in Whitehall, and that it is expecting more to arrive today.

No issues have been reported so far, the force added.

Dairy Farmers Kelly and Edward Seaton had travelled down from Cheshire to make their voices heard.

"It's the final nail in the coffin," 34-year-old Mrs Seaton said, adding: "It's not about the inheritance tax, it's about the constant attack on agriculture and its future protection.

"Food has been too cheap for too long because it has been subsidised by the government. Now they are ripping that away as well as whacking the taxes up. Who's going to pay for that?

"It's either going to kill the farms off or they are going to have to raise the price of food. We are here today to make sure the British public carries on being fed."

Mr Seaton, 47, added: "I am a fourth-generation farmer, and our children want to carry it on. It is a betrayal. It's the tapestry of this country. The rural tapestry will be ripped out doing what they are doing. Starmer is affecting a lot more people than he thinks."

Shadow environment secretary Victoria Atkins said she told ministers of an elderly farmer considering whether "it would be better for him to pass away" before the inheritance tax changes come through.

Recalling her meeting on Monday night, Atkins said ministers "had no answer".

"They’re not listening to real-life examples that farmers are providing them with. I’ve met farmers over the last couple of weeks to talk about this," she added.

“I had one example where a farmer told me that his elderly father… is genuinely asking whether he is going to be a burden to his family and whether it would be better for him to pass away before these changes are made in March 2026 because the land value of their farm is worth millions, but the income they drew last year was worth £19,000."

As he made his way to a makeshift stage across from Downing Street, adoring fans cheered Jeremy Clarkson and shouted, "Yes Jezza!" as he passed.

Other onlookers chanted: "Starmer, Starmer, Starmer - out, out, out!", and held placards reading "Starmer the farmer harmer" and "Don't bite the hand that feeds you".

While walking towards the protest, Clarkson told reporters: “I’m here to support the farmers, it’s that simple, because they need all the help they can get really, even from me.”

He said if chancellor Rachel Reeves "wanted to take out the likes of James Dyson and investment bankers and so on, she would have used a sniper’s rifle, but she’s used a blunderbuss and she’s hit all this lot".

A mother-of-two whose 81-year-old father finally managed to buy their farm after being a tenant for over six decades says new inheritance tax rules put the family in danger of losing the land.

Kate, 39, whose father's farm is in Berkshire, said: "He has been a tenant farmer since he was 18. He has worked so bloody hard and has just bought our farm for our future.

"And now we are faced with losing what he has worked his life for because of inheritance tax. Now we face losing our land. How is that fair?

"I am proud of my dad and what he has worked for, and now the government has screwed him. Only this year he managed to buy our farm - six months ago.

Kate suggested that if her family had known about the budget six months ago, perhaps they wouldn't have bought their 300-acre farm, claiming she now faces "half a million" in inheritance tax.

Jeremy Clarkson has been pictured arriving in Westminster for today's protests, urging the government to "please back down" on its changes to inheritance tax.

The TV presenter and Clarkson's Farm star, who was met with cheers from farmers in London, suggested the reforms would be "the end" for farmers.

Asked earlier what his message to Clarkson would be, environment secretary Steve Reed said: “It’s very important that we listen to farmers, but I would say to farmers, this overnment is backing farming in the UK."

Just before Rachel Reeves' autumn budget, rural Labour MPs sent letters to farmers telling them they did not support changes to the tax regime, NFU president Tom Bradshaw has said.

“They’re in a really, really difficult situation," he told journalists in Westminster.

“This is about right and wrong. It’s not about politics today. So, I urge them to do the right thing by their constituents, by the family farms that produce this country’s food, and to make sure that Number 11, Number 10, know just how dissatisfied they are, they have got to do the right thing by their constituents.”

Ahead of today's protests, environment secretary Steve Reed and chancellor Rachel Reeves have put out a joint statement explaining why they've had to make such a "difficult decision" on inheritance tax.

The pair say it is the best way to ensure wealthier estates "pay their fair share" of tax. They add that £5bn will be invested in farming over the next two years, describing farmers as the "backbone of Britain".

A number of Tory MPs, including new party leader Kemi Badenoch and shadow foreign secretary Priti Patel, have thrown their weight behind protesting farmers today.

Before today's rally, Badenoch said her party would “staunchly oppose the family farm tax, which threatens our vital rural economy and our food security, with increased costs and a greater reliance on imports”.

Over the weekend Patel claimed Labour had "declared war on our farmers", suggesting the government wants to "wipe out family farms with its ill-thought-through reforms".

At this morning's conference, NFU president Tom Bradshaw became visibly emotional as he described the government's move on inheritance tax as a "stab in the back".

"The budget has been a kick in the teeth. The massive inflationary pressure for the whole supply chain, but in particular for the sector that produces fresh produce. The impact on retail shelf prices is going to have to be dramatic.

"You in this room have nothing left to give. It has been nothing but a bad budget, and I have seen nothing like it in my lifetime. Rest assured, the NFU and the other farming unions are fighting for all of those policies," he said, as members of the union make their case to MPs in Westminster.

"We know the horrendous pressure it's putting on the older generation of farmers, who have given everything to provide food for this country. The human impact of this policy is simply not acceptable."

Here, Sky News business correspondent Paul Kelso gives a detailed overview of how farmers will be affected by the lifting of their inheritance tax exemption.

He also explains a discrepancy in the figures of the Treasury, which says only a minority will be affected, and Defra, which says far more will be impacted.

Helen, a farmer protesting in London today, said: "We want to carry on growing and feeding our nation; we should be given the right to carry on.

"I don't think people fully understand our hours. We don't work nine to five - we work 24/7."

NFU president Tom Bradshaw was met with cheers as he took to the stage for a conference in Parliament this morning.

In an impassioned speech, Bradshaw appeared to be tearing up as he told union members the latest budget was "wrong" and an "extraordinary betrayal".

"It takes something extraordinary for us to react like this, and this betrayal is extraordinary," he said. "It affects farmers from every corner of Britain, many of whom are joining me today.

"I don't think I've ever seen the industry this angry, this disillusioned, this upset. And given what we've had to be angry about, that's saying something.

Helen, a farmer protesting in London today, told Yahoo News the £1m threshold before farmers must start paying inheritance tax for their land and assets is "not realistic".

"We need to abolish it completely so we can carry on our farm to the sixth generation," she said. "The government need to relook at all of their figures... They need to take into consideration means testing all of the farms.

"The land alone costs a lot of money. No farmers, no food. If the government don't listen, the next step will be a march and a strike."

Helen, a farmer from Buckinghamshire who has travelled to London for today's protest, has said she is worried the new inheritance tax changes could prevent her from passing her farm onto her children.

Speaking from the reception of Church House, Helen, who did not want to give her surname, said: "We won't be able to hand the farm down to the new generation.

"I feel the Treasury and Defra have got their figures wrong and need to look again at things and either overturn it or come up with something more realistic - like raise the inheritance tax cap to a more realistic figure.

"They have based [their figures] on a small family farm. £1m wouldn't even cover a farmhouse, maybe one building... But nothing of any size. [Not] land, which is the most important thing, or equipment."

Environment secretary Steve Reed said the current system had become “the most effective way for the super-rich to avoid paying their inheritance tax”, forcing up rural land prices and stopping young farmers from owning their own land.

Ministers have continued to insist that the majority of farms would not be affected, but as mentioned below, this is in dispute. The government has also said it supports farmers, highlighting £5bn for the farming budget over the next two years.

However, farmers argue the phase-out of EU-era subsidies in favour of nature-friendly farming payments was speeded up in the Budget, with farmers set to receive no more than £7,200 in 2025 under the old regime.

As mentioned below by Tom Bradshaw, there is a discrepancy in figures between Defra and the Treasury, so it's hard to get an exact figure on how many farms will be affected by the new inheritance tax rules.

The Treasury says some 27% of estates claiming agricultural property relief were above the £1m threshold in 2021/2022, suggesting that nearly three-quarters of farms would not fall within the scope of the charges. It says around 500 estates a year are expected to pay inheritance tax under the changes.

The NFU claims farm businesses have also qualified separately for business property relief, which can cover things such as harvested grain and livestock, machinery and diversified businesses such as camping on farmland.

Now the two are combined, with a single £1 million allowance before inheritance tax is levied, which could mean more farms are in scope, the union says, pointing to Defra figures showing 66% of farm businesses in England have a net value of more than £1 million.

The government has said looking at asset value alone does not necessarily mean the farm will be affected, as it depends on individual circumstances.

The farming industry has been treated with "contempt" by environment secretary Steve Reed, the president of the National Farmers’ Union (NFU) has said.

Tom Bradshaw told LBC: “The way he’s treated the industry with contempt in what he’s been writing has landed very, very badly.”

Of a meeting he had with Reed on Monday, the union president said: “I hope the secretary of state was listening, I hope the government are listening, I want to sit down with the chancellor and sort this mess out.”

Asked about how many farmers will be affected by the changes to inheritance tax, Bradshaw said: “There’s huge mistrust in the numbers, even Defra and the Treasury can’t agree on the number. Our numbers suggest that 75% of commercial farms, those farms producing this country’s food, are caught in the eye of this storm.”

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, 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.”

Dan Spours has made a long journey to the capital today, travelling 400 miles from his farm just miles from the Scottish border in Northumberland.

The 50-year-old, whose Twizell Farm holds livestock as well as arables, warned that he was ready to go "full French" if he wasn't listened to – an apparent reference to blockades and other disruption by farmers in France.

"Food security is the biggest issue - taxation issues as well but the bigger issue is the food and land," he said. "This country only looks the way it does because we look after it. I think we've been largely left alone because we know what we are doing.

"But if this gets in, it's going to mean development and the countryside will be ruined. There will be bloody solar farms everywhere.

"I don't think today will have a massive effect, but if we can show the public why we are doing this and keep them onside... after that I think we just go full French. If this doesn't work, we'll go full French. We will disrupt."

Farmers were pictured driving their tractors through the snow in central London this morning in protest over incoming inheritance tax changes.

A convoy of vehicles, some bearing Union Flags were seen passing the Houses of Parliament and Westminster Bridge ahead of today's march to Whitehall, in which as many as 40,000 people are expected to take part.

Policing minister Dame Diana Johnson has defended the changes to inheritance tax as farmers gather in central London to oppose the move.

Asked if she wanted to apologise to the farming community, she told Times Radio: “I fully understand the strength of feeling that the farming community have and, of course, they have the right to come and protest and lobby Parliament, as we’re seeing happening already this morning.

"But the Labour government, when it came in in July, was having to face some very difficult decisions because of the economic mess that we inherited and the £22 billion black hole in the public finances."

The Institute for Fiscal Studies has questioned how much of this so-called "black hole" was inherited and says some of financial pressures could have been anticipated.

“I also want to recognise that there is money going into farming," Johnson added. "There’s over £5bn over the next two years that the government is putting into farming and the number of farms that will be affected by the changes are relatively small.”

Jeremy Clarkson is expected to attend large demonstrations by farmers in London on Tuesday in protest against government changes to inheritance tax.

The former Top Gear presenter, who now fronts the reality TV series Clarkson's Farm, is recovering from a back injury in the latest of his health battles, but the 64-year-old told The Telegraph he hoped to "get there somehow".

Read the full story from Yahoo News.

Commuters in the capital witnessed an unlikely sight this morning as tractors blaring their horns skirted Parliament Square amidst a backdrop of heavy sleet.

Agriculture workers from across the country gathered to protest against changes to inheritance tax which will see 20 per cent levied from family farms worth over £1m.

But farmers of all ages, conversing in a chorus of rural accents from across the UK, say the government have underestimated how many farms the new measure will affect and damage.

Some held placards outside Parliament reading: 'No farmers, no food, no future', whilst others warned that if ministers refused to listen today, they would go 'full French' and cause major disruption.