Farmers protest LIVE: Keir Starmer accused of wiping out next farming generation as tractors take over Westminster in show of defiance

Will Wilt, 45, a 4th generation farmer in Worcestershire, travelled to London with his wife and three children.

He said: ‘I couldn’t believe the inheritance tax policy. It comes at a time when farming is really up against it anyway. We’re not earning enough money to pay an inheritance tax.

‘If we were, we would certainly do it, because that’s how the world works. But they’re nailing us to the floor when we’re already nailed there.

‘A tractor today is worth £150,000 to £200,000. Never mind any stock. There’s no chance my children can get started. It’s built on generations.

‘Keir Starmer is going to kill our fourth generations hard work and future generations.’

More than 300 tractors lined up on the streets of Parliament Square and Whitehall as hundreds of protesters descended on Westminster.

Two tanks were brought to London in support of the farmers and carried a banner which read ‘Tanks a lot Reeves and Starmer’.

Generations of farmers joined the demonstrations with children, as young as five, to highlight the impact the policy will have on their families.

Roads were brought to a standstill with heavy traffic in nearby streets.

James Cleverly, Conservative MP for Braintree, joined the protest to show his support.

He said: ‘I’ve got a rural constituency but frankly, even if I didn’t, this would matter.

‘This would matter because the food production industry, which is what farming is, affects everybody.

‘We’ve all got to eat. And if these changes go through and it undermines the viability of farming and food production, everyone in the country will suffer.

‘This is a incredibly poorly thought through policy. It’s damaging the kind of people we should be supporting, and that’s why I am opposed to it. I will continue to be opposed to it, and I’ll continue to support my farmers and farmers around the rest of the country.’

Matt Cowling, 40, drove his tractor down from Padstow, Cornwall and parked it outside Whitehall.

He said: ‘I’m a 4th generation farmer my son will be the 5th and this inheritance will kill family farms all over the country.

‘I won’t be able to carry on, the farm won’t be economical.

‘This Labour policy will kill British farming and kill our food security. We can’t be dependant on other countries.

‘They’re completely out of touch. Farmers, the working class, the National Insurance hikes – it’s killing everyone.

‘I am almost not encouraging my eight-year-old son not be a farmer.

‘I could be the generation that loses it, it’s heartbreaking and soul destroying.’

Rows of tractors are lined all the way from Downing Street to Parliament Square and Trafalgar Square.

Whitehall remains completely blocked off.

Stages are being set up outside Downing Street for speeches by farming chiefs at 3pm.

The government is ‘not listening yet’ but these ‘people are not going to stop. It goes to the heart of everything,’ he told Sky News.

‘This is such a fundamental issue that it has got to be resolved. These people are not going to stop. If you understand that, you recognise that the government are the ones who will have to stop.’

Angry farmers protesting against Labour’s new inheritance tax plans have taken over Whitehall.

One sign attached to a tractor reads: ‘Don’t listen to Rachel Thieves from accounts! Back British farming’.

Another says ‘Labour are liars’

The tractors and tanks are now passing Parliament and are heading to Downing Street.

Farmers claim as many as 2,000 will be taking over Whitehall

Hundreds of tractors and multiple tanks have blocked the streets through Whitehall.

Tractors are expected to continue arriving into the Capital in convoy ahead of speeches at 3pm opposite Downing Street.

Farmer Ian Haynes, from Lincolnshire, said he’s worried he will have to sell parts of his farm to pay the tax when it is introduced.

Deputy Leader of Reform UK poses amongst a convoy of tractors driven by protesters.

One sign reads ‘Stuck Farmer’.

We’ll let you work that one out.

Around 50 tractors have descended on Westminster so far causing traffic chaos and blocking Whitehall.

Farmers, clad in Barbour jackets and muddy wellies, celebrated their arrival as they held up signs which read ‘with our farmers’, ‘Labour liars’ and ‘Farmer’s lives matter’.

Some protestors stood on top of their tractors in a show of defiance as others blared their horns and orchestrated the growing crowd.

Labour’s inheritance tax plans will cause a ‘humanitarian crisis’, according to Liz Webster, founder of Save British Farming.

She told Sky News: ‘It will cause a humanitarian crisis. Many elderly farmers know they can save their family farm by not being after that deadline [April 2026].

‘And that’s a heartbreaking and terrifying reality.’

The organiser of today’s protest in Westminster has warned Nigel Farage he cannot ‘have your cake and eat it’ as she responded to his support for the tractor rally in the capital.

Liz Webster, founder of Save British Farming, told The Independent, Mr Farage’s support for US President Donald Trump undermined his efforts to help farming in Britain.

Nigel likes to be seen as part of the farming community, but you can’t have your cake and eat it. Nigel is in awe of Donald Trump, he is the first person to want an American trade deal, if you have the American trade deal that destroys British farming, so you can’t have both.

British boxer Derek Chisora joined Nigel Farage to protest on behalf of farmers in North London this morning.

The heavyweight fighter, known as ‘Del Boy’, gatecrashed an interview Mr Farage gave to GB News before he posed for pictured with the Reform leader in Mill Hill.

Mr Chisora has previously shown support for Reform and made an appearance after defeating Otto Wallin in Manchester on Saturday night.

Tractors have been pictured arriving in Westminster ahead of a protest outside Parliament this afternoon.

Hundreds of tractors are expected to flood the capital as MPs debate new changes to inheritance tax which many say will force families to sell their land.

The protest is scheduled to take place at 1pm.

Picture is from December 2024

Farmers from across the country are heading to Parliament this afternoon as MPs debate a petition against changes to inheritance tax.

The government e-petition, entitled ‘Don’t change inheritance tax relief for working farms’, has attracted nearly 150,000 signatures since it was launched by Tim Burt in December.

We think that changing inheritance tax relief for agricultural land will devastate farms nationwide, forcing families to sell land and assets just to stay on their property. We urge the government to keep the current exemptions for working farms.

In its response, the Government has said:

The Government’s commitment to farmers is steadfast. There is also an urgent need to repair the public finances in as fair a way as possible. The reform of the reliefs strikes the right balance.

Petitions with more than 100,000 signatures are debated in Parliament.

Today’s debate is scheduled to take place at 4:30pm and is open to members from all sides of the Commons.

Our readers have been posting their thoughts on the latest protest by farmers with tractors set to descend on Westminster early afternoon.

Let’s take a look at what some of you have been telling us:

Won’t make a blind bit of difference. Stop working stop producing food and hold the government to ransom.

Ideological Labour see this as revenge for the miners. This is how petty and juvenile they are. A hateful spiteful Party. That’s Labour.

We shouldn’t have IHT at all. It’s the same wrong headed thinking that has people screeching “that house it worth more than mine – the owner can afford more tax”. Paper / asset wealth is not money!

Any sane person stands with them.

Tractors have been spotted on the streets of the capital as farmers head to Parliament for the latest protest over new inheritance tax rules.

Harrow Online, a website covering news in North London, has shared footage of several tractors being driven through Edgware as the convoy heads for central London.

The protest is Westminster is expected to take place at around 1pm.

Tens of thousands of farmers marched on Westminster in November, just weeks after the new inheritance tax changes were announced.

In December, around 650 tractors rolled into the capital and blocked streets in central London.

Around 75 tractors from Essex and Suffolk blocked dual carriageways including the A14 and A5 as they protested against the government.

And last month 40 tractors descended on Oxford city centre blasting their horns, as Environment Secretary Steve Reed addressed a national farming conference.

Last week angry farmers staged a 15-mile tractor protest in Edinburgh against UK Government plans for inheritance tax charges on farms.

Liz Webster, the founder of Save British Farming, who are organising the march, said the country’s food system could collapse if the planned inheritance tax changes go ahead.

She told Sky News: ‘This is about a system that we all rely on. That’s what this government don’t seem to recognise.

‘And that’s what we’re trying to communicate with them – if we don’t have enough food in this country there will be a major problem.’

The Treasury says around 500 estates a year are expected to pay inheritance tax under the new budget.

However, the National Farmers’ Union (NFU) says farm businesses have also qualified separately for business property relief, which can cover things such as harvested grain, livestock and machinery

The two are now combined, with a single £1 million allowance before inheritance tax is charged, meaning more farms could be taxed.

According to the Environment Department (Defra) 66 per cent of farm businesses in England have a net value of more than £1 million.

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

Protesters first descended on Westminster in November, weeks after Labour’s budget was announced.

Tens of thousands of farmers, including Jeremy Clarkson, demonstrated outside Parliament.

Mr Clarkson said it was ‘the end’ for farmers and that the changes to inheritance tax were a ‘very rushed last-minute decision’.

‘I think we all make mistakes in life, and I think it’s time for them to say ‘you know what, we’ve cocked this one up a bit’ and back down,’ he said

The former Top Gear presenter, who owns Diddly Squat Farm in Oxfordshire – which features in the Amazon series Clarkson’s Farm, later clashed with the BBC during the protest.

After being asked by BBC’s Victoria Derbyshire if he bought a farm to avoid inheritance tax, he said: ‘Classic BBC. I wanted to shoot… which comes with the benefit of not having to pay inheritance tax. Now I do. But people like me will simply put it [money] in a trust.

‘And so long as I live for seven years, that’s fine… But it’s incredibly time consuming to have to do that. And why should all these people have to do that? Why should they?’

‘It is difficult to find a Government policy that has prompted such wide-spread concern than that of Rachel Reeves’s disastrous family farm tax,’ Mo Metcalf-Fisher, external affairs director for the Countryside Alliance,’ said.

‘Farmers want to get on with producing food for us to eat while maintaining the countryside we all know and love. Instead, they are having to fight to save their livelihoods.

‘The total breakdown between Whitehall and the countryside hurts the whole country. We are in London today to urge Rachel Reeves to see sense and rethink her ruinous proposals.

‘The countryside will be watching the debate in parliament today like a hawk. We want every rural MP, including those in the Labour Party, to stand up and speak out, before it’s too late.’

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage said a campaign by farmers against changes to inheritance tax rules can be successful if it is ‘persistent and peaceful’.

Speaking at a Farmers To Action campaign event in north London before a tractor rally in Westminster, Mr Farage said: ‘I’m pleased to see the campaign is ramping up. It’s growing right across the country.

‘The message I’ve been putting to them, I think they’re listening too, which is 100 Labour MPs now represent rural seats – if they see local communities getting behind these families, they’re going to start getting scared, and they’re going to start putting pressure on No 10, and let’s face it, they’re in pretty big trouble already.

‘So I think if this campaign is persistent and peaceful, they can get change.

Mr Farage said inheritance tax should be scrapped completely, not just on farms.

‘You’re basically taxing money that’s been taxed already as a death tax, and it’s horrible.

‘People living in semi-detached houses in London are now dragged into inheritance tax. And yes, of course, you can do seven-year planning and all the rest of it, but unlikely things happen. I honestly believe just getting rid of inheritance tax as a whole would be a good thing.’

National Farming Union President Tom Bradshaw said: ‘The strength of feeling around the proposed family farm tax is still incredibly high.

‘We support any members who want to take part in other respectful and lawful demonstrations which work towards our aim to stop the family farm tax.’

Meanwhile, Country Land and Business Association (CLA) deputy president Gavin Lane, has said they will ‘haunt’ the government until the plans are reversed.

‘The government is hoping we’d move on, but these are our livelihoods we are defending.

‘This issue will haunt them until they see sense. The case against these tax reforms is only growing stronger, and we are working to bring the whole of British industry together for the common good.

‘We are delighted to be supporting the rally on Monday and thank everyone involved, and the public, for their backing.

Liz Webster, the founder of Save British Farming, who are organising the march, accused Ms Reeves of ensuring that the UK is ‘marching into a food crisis’.

Major supermarkets have turned on the government over the inheritance tax, warning the raid on family farmers will put food supply chains at risk.

Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Morrisons, Asda, Co-op and Marks & Spencer signed a scathing letter warning about ‘the long-term stability of the nation’s food resilience’.

Lidl, Aldi, Co-op and Marks & Spencer also signed the letter calling for the dropping of the ‘abhorrent’.

Tesco said ‘the UK’s future food security is at stake’ and the government should pause the introduction of inheritance tax on farms worth over £1m.

‘We’ll be supporting the National Farmers Union’s calls for a pause in the implementation of the policy, while a full consultation is carried out,’ said Ashwin Prasad, Tesco’s chief commercial officer.

‘After years of policy change, it has been harder than ever for them to plan ahead or to invest in their farms.’

The Reform UK leader added: ‘I promise if we have anything to do with it after the next election… we will reverse it.’

Farmers and their tractors gathered at Belmont Farm in north London this morning ahead of the rally in Westminster over the changes to inheritance tax.

Reform leader Nigel Farage is in attendance and was spotted holding signs and mixing with protesters.

Speaking at Belmont Farm in North West London, Reform leader Nigel Farage has called for the end of ‘death taxes’

On stage at a gathering of the group Farmers to Action, he said: ‘No to death taxes full stop. End death taxes. They are wrong. They are immoral at every level.’

Farmers are marching on Whitehall today to demonstrate against Labour chancellor Rachel Reeves’s budget plans to extend inheritance to agricultural land.

Previously, farming businesses qualified for 100 per cent relief on inheritance tax on agricultural property and business property.

The tax is being imposed on farms worth more than £1 million, with a tax rate of 20 per cent on assets above the threshold, rather than the normal 40 per cent rate for inheritance tax.

The Government says that the actual threshold before paying inheritance tax could be as much as £3 million, once exemptions for each partner in a couple and for the farm property are taken into account.

Some farmers argue that although they are asset rich in land and livestock, they are cash poor, meaning the budget changes would force them to sell their land to be able to pay the tax.

Hello and welcome to MailOnline’s live coverage as farmers stage another tractor protest outside Parliament to oppose upcoming changes to inheritance tax rules.

The tractor rally, organised by Save British Farming, comes as MPs debate an e-petition with more than 148,000 signatures calling to keep the current inheritance tax exemptions for working farms.

Labour has insisted it will not make a U-turn on its plans to introduce a 20% inheritance tax rate on farms worth more than £1 million.

The changes announced in the Budget are due to come into force in April 2026 and scrap an exemption which meant no inheritance tax was paid to pass down family farms.

Stick with us throughout the day as we bring you the latest updates and reaction plus pictures and videos of the protest