Thousands of British farmers converged on central London on Tuesday to protest the Labour government’s proposed changes to inheritance tax for farmers, announced in the recent Budget.
The Metropolitan Police estimated the crowd to be over 10,000 strong, with protesters brandishing placards bearing the stark message “No farmers, no food, no future” as tractors rolled past Parliament in a show of solidarity, BBC reports.
TV presenter Jeremy Clarkson, who joined the march in Whitehall, sounded the alarm, declaring “it’s the end” for farmers if the policy isn’t reversed.
This demonstration is the latest in a series of actions taken by farmers to express their dissatisfaction with the government’s agricultural policies.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said he understood farmers’ concerns and “wants to support” them but added “the vast majority” would be unaffected.
According to BBC, from April 2026, inherited agricultural assets worth more than £1m, which were previously exempt, will be liable to the tax at 20% – half the usual rate. Other allowances could mean a couple who are married or in a civil partnership could pass on a farm worth as much as £3m.
However, many farmers argue that while they are asset rich, for example in terms of their property and livestock, they are cash poor and the changes would mean they would have to sell up to be able to pay the tax.
At least, 1,800 National Farmers’ Union (NFU) members earlier in the day, met near Parliament as part of a mass lobby of MPs where the group’s president gave an impassioned speech. He described the tax changes as a stab in the back, a kick in the teeth and as wrong and unacceptable.
According to the report; NFU President Tom Bradshaw told protesters the changes were the “straw that broke the camel’s back”.
