Farmers Protest In London Against New Inheritance Tax Change
The change to Inheritance Tax on farms was announced in the Autumn Budget, and sent shockwaves through large swathes of the UK’s farming community, including Jeremy Clarkson.
Thousands of farmers took to the streets of London on Tuesday to protest against the recent change to inheritance tax on farms made by the government.
In last month's budget, the Chancellor, Rachel Reeves, announced that farmers looking to pass on their farms to the next generation will no longer be exempt from paying inheritance tax.
This means that farms worth more than £1.5m will now have to pay the tax. For jointly owned farms, however, the threshold rises to £3m before farmers are then forced to pay the 20% inheritance tax – still half of the standard 40%.
Farmers up and down the country have been outraged by the government’s announcement. With Oxfordshire’s most famous adopted son, Jeremy Clarkson, now famous for his farming exploits on the hit Amazon Prime show, Clarkson’s Farm, heading to London to join the protest.
At the central London protest, Clarkson told the BBC: “I’m here to support farmers.” He continued with a plea to Rachel Reeves and the government: “Please back down, please.”
On farmers protesting against the government's changes, Conservative Party Councillor, Thomas Ashby, of West Oxfordshire District Council, said: “I completely understand why farmers are striking. Inheritance Tax is cruel as it is, let alone this new flawed approach by this awful Labour Government.”
He continued: “British Farmers are the backbone of Britain. They keep us fed and they keep Britain moving. Locally, here in West Oxfordshire, we've all been able to witness through Clarkson's Farm how difficult it is for farmers to make any money at all, with many only earning a very small profit over the year.”
His message to the Labour government? “Labour have shown their true colours, breaking their promises time and time again since they have got to power. They're a threat to Britain's energy security and this recent policy shows they're an even bigger threat to Britain's food security."
Farmers have vowed to escalate their protests if the government refuses to enter talks over the tax.
Labour representatives of West Oxfordshire District Council were contacted for comment, but no responses have been received.