Wearing a T-shirt with the slogan “Keir Starmer the Family Farmer Harmer,” Archie Godman, who is set to inherit his family’s West Sussex farm, criticized the prime minister’s policy, calling it “unsustainable.”
“The tax we would owe on our farm would amount to millions — even with the allowances. Most farms earn between 0.5% and 1% of their total value annually,” he explained. “In good years, it might be a profit, but that’s not always the case. Right now, we’re at the mercy of the weather. Farming is already hard work, but this policy makes it unworkable.”
Matthew Cooper, a fifth-generation farmer from Essex, holding signs that read “Buggered by Boris” and “Rogered by Reeves,” expressed similar concerns about the inheritance tax changes. He warned that the new rules pose an “existential threat” to family farms, including his own. “We simply wouldn’t be able to pay it. It would force us to sell part of our farm, something we’re determined not to do,” he said.
Jo Hilditch, a farmer from North-West Herefordshire known for her appearances on television shows like “The Hairy Bikers” and “Countryfile” and her cassis liqueur, shared that her children would face a hefty tax bill of “at least half a million” if she passed the farm down to them. As a result, they would likely be forced to sell.
Outside Parliament, thousands of demonstrators — including children on toy tractors — made their displeasure clear. “We’re being shafted,” said Hilditch, pointing to a poster showing Chancellor Rachel Reeves smiling, with the altered words “I’m backing shafting British farming.”
No Backing Down
Until now, farmers have been exempt from inheritance tax. Starting in April 2026, however, they will have to pay 20% on assets valued above £1 million when passing them down, which is still less than the standard 40% owed by other taxpayers under inheritance tax.
Ministers argue that, depending on individual cases, up to £3 million in agricultural assets can still be passed tax-free, once available reliefs are factored in.
At a mass lobbying event, NFU (National Farmers’ Union) President Tom Bradshaw, overwhelmed with emotion, referred to the government’s budget as “nothing short of a stab in the back” for farming families.
The government, on its part, states that the changes are necessary to offset the “£22 billion fiscal hole” inherited from the previous Conservative administration and to close a loophole primarily benefiting the wealthier estates.
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