- Hundreds of tractors swarmed the London borough of Westminster on Monday, Feb. 10, as farmers protested the Labour Party’s upcoming changes to the inheritance tax for operational farms.
- Plans are in place to impose a 20% inheritance tax rate on operational farms worth more than roughly $1.2 million by April 2026.
- The change eliminates a current exemption from the inheritance tax for working farms.
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Hundreds of tractors swarmed the London borough of Westminster on Monday, Feb. 10, as farmers protested the Labour Party’s upcoming changes to the inheritance tax for operational farms.
What are farmers protesting?
Plans are in place to impose a 20% inheritance tax rate on operational farms worth more than roughly $1.2 million by April 2026. The change eliminates a current exemption from the inheritance tax for working farms.
What is the Labour Party saying?
The Labour Party vowed to keep the change in the face of criticism. The vow comes in spite of a petition with nearly 150,000 signatures urging lawmakers to keep exemptions on the so-called “death tax” for working farms.
What does the demonstration aim to achieve?
The demonstration, organized by Save British Farming, is the third time farmers have rolled into the capital since Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced the change in 2024.
Save British Farming said despite the Labour Party’s promise to implement the tax, they’re hopeful the mass protest will force members of parliament to negotiate with the agricultural industry.
Protest organizers also warn the government could be “marching into a food crisis” if negotiations do not happen.
British political leaders such as Nigel Farage have backed the movement. Farage called for an end to “death taxes” as he addressed protesting farmers. A Save British Farming organizer told the Independent, however, Farage was not invited to the demonstration and accused him of “jumping on the bandwagon.”
What is the bigger picture?
As Straight Arrow News previously reported, farmers across Europe have rolled into towns with large farm vehicles to oppose policies they see as detrimental to the agricultural industry, including demonstrations last year against the European Union’s climate change policies, which protesting farmers said hurt their ability to make a living.
