Is Westminster ready for farmageddon? Tomorrow will see the greatest political demonstration for a rural cause since the passage of the Hunting Act in 2004. Thousands are expected to descend on Whitehall to protest Rachel Reeves’ changes to inheritance tax for farms. Those worth more than £1 million will face an effective inheritance tax (IHT) rate of 20 per cent from April 2026 – which rural groups fear will ‘kill’ the family farm.
The National Farmers’ Union (NFU) is hosting a conference event at Church House in Parliament Square from 9 a.m. tomorrow morning. Up to 1,800 members – divided into three groups of 600 – will be able to attend its sessions. These aim to allow farmers to lobby their MPs urge the Chancellor to reconsider. More than 50 new Labour MPs now sit for rural areas; it remains to be seen how many will brave the gauntlet. As the NFU notes, ‘the level of anger in the industry may never have been so high’, with discontent growing, rather than abating.
The NFU event could well be overshadowed by what is going on outside. A rival – or ‘complementary’ – event is scheduled 200 metres down the road, opposite the gates of Downing Street on Richmond Terrace. The #WeJustWantToFeedYou protest begins at 11 a.m. It has been organised by five farmers. The group came together on budget day in a WhatsApp chat called ‘APR BPR’ – a reference to the agricultural property relief (APR) and business property relief (BPR) hiked by Reeves. Together, these five are liaising with police to bring thousands of food producers to London. But the influx of between 10,000 to 20,000 rural voters will undoubtedly slow SW1 to a halt – despite the Met’s claim to be working to ‘minimise disruption.’
It is likely to be a colourful sight, featuring hundreds of sets of Wellington boots, flat caps and Barbour jackets. Unlike the mass-produced placards of standard London rallies, there will be home-made signs. ‘Keep your BS in Westminster, we’ll keep ours in the countryside’ is one classic of old. Once the rally kicks off, there will then be a series of speakers draw from all the major political parties. ‘Labour have no allies on this’ says one Tory MP, noting that the Lib Dems and Greens are now against Reeves’ changes too. After the speeches will be a short procession down to Parliament Square, spearheaded by children on toy tractors to symbolise the impact on future farmers. Attendees too will bring British produce for food banks – to highlight their role as food producers.
Some of the more unorthodox schemes proposed – such as spraying Parliament Square with manure or blocking Westminster with tractors – have been discouraged by groups supportive of the cause. ‘Organisers remind attendees that they should not bring machinery,’ notes the Countryside Alliance’s website, drily. It reminds ‘attendees of their responsibilities to, not only themselves, but also, the reputation of the farming industry’ with ‘surrounding areas’ to be ‘left as they are found.’ Wiser heads are conscious of the impact that ‘French-style protests’ could have on public opinion.
Many farmers rarely, if ever, come to London: supporters note the contrast with the recent weekly demonstrations on Gaza, dominated by local residents. One rural veteran recalls the ‘Countryside Rally’ of July 1997, when 125,000 turned up on a Thursday in Hyde Park. The power of political protest, he suggests, has dwindled since then, with Westminster accustomed to regular demonstrations by the likes of Extinction Rebellion. Yet, conversely, some organisers hope that the juxtaposition with ‘serial protesters’ will help illustrate the strength of feeling about the budget’s impact. ‘These people don’t normally protest’, says one. ‘They are too busy working on their farm.’
So, what impact will the protest have? The Treasury shows no sign of compromise, having already rejected a bid by the department for rural affairs to soften the changes. The chances of a complete reversal look slim, with lobby groups keen not to use the phrase ‘U-turn.’ Instead, they hope a show of strength will encourage a rethink on either the timeline or target of these changes. One suggested change would be deferring IHT payments pending the sale of the asset. This would make APR unattractive for tax avoidance, with heirs unable to liquidate the asset without paying IHT. Another ‘win’ would be delaying implementation until 2031 to enable farmers to gift their assets. Expect such demands to feature at Steve Reed’s session with the Defra committee tomorrow afternoon.
The stakes are high for tomorrow’s demonstration. ‘It can’t go off half-cocked’, warns a former Tory cabinet minister. He suggests that the rally needs to go ‘beyond just farmers’ and show that voters – not just those directly affected – care about the rural community. So far, lobby groups have been effective in bombarding rural MPs with correspondence and campaign emails. But if the farmers are to secure a win in the next spring Budget, tomorrow’s rally needs to be the start of something – rather than the end.
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