Farmers descended on Westminster on Tuesday, 19 November to protest the proposed Inheritance Tax rise as part of the Labour government’s budget.
Holding signs saying “No Farms No Food”, farmers drove tractors through the streets nearby the Houses of Parliament to draw attention to the opposition towards Labour’s measures.
Media outlets reported 10,000 demonstrators while organizers claimed 40-50,000 farmers protested in London.
Farmers protested the weekend before Prime Minister Keir Starmer attended a conference in Llandudno, Wales.
At the conference, Starmer firmly pledged to defend the new budget “all day long,” and was willing to make “tough decisions that were necessary to stabilise our economy.”
Facing a financial crisis for funding social services offered by the British state, Starmer said it was “long overdue for Westminster politicians to level with people, honestly, about the trade-offs that Britain faces”.
The Inheritance Tax change would raise a 20 per cent tax on assets exceeding £1,000,000.
Farmers have been exempt from Inheritance Tax since 1984 due to the food they produce for the country.
While Labour has maintained that only 500 farmers would be impacted by this change, the National Farmers Union has rebutted by saying that 66 per cent of farms would be effected by the Inheritance Tax rise.
National Farmers Union President Tom Bradshaw said that the industry feels “betrayed” by the British government.
“We have a government saying food security is a critical part of national security, yet they have ripped the rug out of that very industry that will invest in food security in the future.”
Farming normally relies on assets being passed down between generations, meaning that the Inheritance Tax can significantly alter how farmers pass down their estates.
TV personality Jeremy Clarkson, who’s show Clarkson’s Farm has been praised for drawing international attention to British Farming, said that the Labour government was making a “mistake”.
Opposition parties capitalized on the protests that took place near Westminster.
Leader of Reform UK Nigel Farage interviewed various farmers part of the protest in a live stream on X.
Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey spoke to the farmers from a trailer saying “we will stand by you every step of the whole”.
Farmers in Scotland are expected to protest outside the Scottish Parliament on Thursday 28 November.
“Save British Farmers Demonstration Parliament Square” by barry.marsh1944 is marked with Public Domain Mark 1.0.