Farmers to urge Starmer to ‘change his tune’ on IHT plans

Farmers are stepping up their campaign urging prime minister Keir Starmer to “change his tune” and scrap Labour’s anti-farming policies outlined in the Autumn Budget, with plans to take their tractors to London for an event aimed at amplifying their demand for a fairer deal.

The Save British Farming (SBF) campaign group says hundreds of farmers will be travelling to Westminster in tractors and on foot on Monday 10 February, to coincide with a parliamentary debate about a petition of almost 150,000 signatures opposing the inheritance tax (IHT) changes.

The key message of the rally is simple: “Change your tune, Starmer.”

See also: Video: 600 tractors make a statement against farm tax policy

Farmers are demanding that the Labour government reverses its plans to tax inherited agricultural assets worth more than £1m by 20% from April 2026. Many believe the policy will force them to sell their land or businesses in order to pay the tax.

Farmers are also distressed by a plethora of other damaging, anti-farming policies.

These measures include drastic reductions to direct payments, higher costs for farm employers, tax increases on double-cab pickups and fertiliser, as well as delays in farm funding for capital grants and agri-environment schemes.

The SBF event on 10 December will feature a big screen broadcasting the parliamentary debate on the IHT petition. There will also be speeches from prominent industry leaders, including NFU president Tom Bradshaw and food poverty campaigner Dominic Watters.

© MAG/Martin Ward

Online fundraiser

SBF has also launched a GoFundMe campaign seeking to raise £1,600 to cover the costs of event materials such as banners, placards and the mobile screen required to broadcast the debate.

SBF founder Liz Webster said: “This event promises to be a positive celebration of British agriculture. The petition debate will attract a lot of strong arguments from opposition MPs who are on farmers’ side.

“We need to amplify these strong arguments to win more public support to ensure the government U-turns on their disastrous Budget for farming.

“This campaign is a marathon and not a sprint, and I urge farmers to get behind us because we need to continue to build momentum for the long run. This is costly, so please do what you can to contribute and promote our crowdfunder.”