JEREMY Clarkson will lead 20,000 farmers in a march on Westminster against Labour’s hated “tractor tax”.
Farmers are furious at a Treasury plans that would see a 20 per cent levy slapped on holdings valued above £1million.
They argue that while land, buildings, equipment and animals may add up to such a figure, the only way extra cash could be found would be by selling up.
Up to 20,000 expected protesters are backed by an online petition — Overturn the Family Farm Tax — that has so far got 200,000 signatures.
Jezza will lead the protest even though he is still recovering from a life-saving heart op.
The Clarkson’s Farm star, 64, said the planned inheritance levy was “a hugely important issue” for everyone.
He told The Sun: “I will be there, despite having letters from doctors telling me not to go on the march and saying I must avoid stress.”
Angry Jeremy will leave Diddly Squat Farm to lead a squad of country workers into battle tomorrow against the Government.
With him will be show co-star Kaleb Cooper.
They will join thousands protesting over inheritance tax plans that they fear could see many family farms having to be sold off.
Jeremy, whose Clarkson’s Farm shows have been a huge hit, told The Sun: “We have got two coaches of farmers from around here who are leaving from Diddly Squat. It is a hugely important issue.”
The tax changes are due in April 2026. The Treasury claims they will affect just 27 per cent of farms, but the National Farmers’ Union say around two in three will be hit.
It has publicly urged members not to strike or disrupt food supplies. However, there are fears of possible blockades.
Rally organiser Olly Harrison said: “The older generation now feel they’re a burden.”
Colleague Clive Bailye added: “We have people who feel like they have nothing to lose.”
Tory leader Kemi Badenoch said: “Labour clearly doesn’t understand or care about rural communities.”
Speaking in Brazil, PM Sir Keir Starmer said that he understands changes to inheritance tax are “causing concern” for farmers.
But Sir Keir insisted “the vast majority of farms” will not be affected.
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Keir Starmer, ‘Farmer Harmer’
The Tories have branded PM Sir Keir Starmer ‘Farmer Harmer” in a new attack ad.
They have also registered a new website, Stop the Farm Tax.
Posting on Twitter, the Conservatives said: “Keir Starmer doesn’t get farming.
“It takes decades to learn the skills, and generations to make it a success.
“Keir’s Family Farm Tax will force families to sell their farms, putting farmers out of business and crippling the industry.”
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Lib Dems slam ‘family farm tax’
The Liberal Democrats warned subsidies for farmers have fallen by 20% in real terms since 2015, and 8,100 farms were lost across the UK in 2023.
They said the financial situation was getting worse, as Labour sped up the end of direct subsidy payments, and urged the Government to ditch the inheritance tax reforms to save farms from even greater financial pressures.
Liberal Democrat environment spokesperson Tim Farron said: “Farmers are absolutely vital to this country. They put food on our table and look after our countryside and without them we would all be worse off.
“For years the Conservative Party knew this and did nothing but neglect them.
“They forced them to suffer through botched trade deals, declines in their incomes and cuts to much-needed support that makes farming in this country viable.
“Now the new Labour Government looks set to do exactly the same.
“Their family farm tax will be yet another hammer blow to farmers in this country and risk ringing the death knell for farming in the UK.”
He called on Chancellor Rachel Reeves to urgently rethink the plans.
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Union: Labour has treated farmers with contempt
Environment Secretary Steve Reed has treated the farming industry with “contempt”, the president of the National Farmers’ Union (NFU) said.
Tom Bradshaw told LBC: “The way he’s treated the industry with contempt in what he’s been writing has landed very, very badly.”
Of the meeting he had with Mr Reed on Monday, the union president said: “I hope the Secretary of State was listening, I hope the Government are listening, I want to sit down with the Chancellor and sort this mess out.”
Asked about how many farmers will be affected by the changes to inheritance tax, Mr Bradshaw said: “There’s huge mistrust in the numbers, even Defra and the Treasury can’t agree on the number.
“Our numbers suggest that 75% of commercial farms, those farms producing this country’s food, are caught in the eye of this storm.”
On the seven-year gifting rule, Mr Bradshaw said the farmers in the “twilight of their careers” who may not expect to live for that amount of time “have been cut off at the knees”.
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‘No farmers, no food’
Posting on Twitter, farmer James Wright said: “Cows are fed. Off to London.
“Food security is national security and the family farm tax undermines it – Labour must change course.
He added: “No farmers, no food. Found Henry, 17 normally milking cows right now.
“He’s got the day off to come to London so that everyone knows we need to protect family farms, not steal the future from them.”
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Farmers ‘betrayed’ by Labour
Labour has “destroyed” a “contract” between farming and the government dating back to the Second World War with its changes to inheritance tax, the president of the National Famers’ Union (NFU) has said.
Tom Bradshaw told Sky News: “There’s always been an understanding, a contract, between farming and society, farming and the government, ever since the Second World War, and this Labour Government have just destroyed that contract with the changes they proposed to the inheritance tax.”
He said NFU members are “asset-rich but cash-poor”.
“We’d love to pay more tax,” Mr Bradshaw continued. “If we get proper margins from food production, and we end up swelling the Treasury coffers, bring it on.
“But at the moment the supply chain doesn’t give us those returns that enables us to save the money to pay the inheritance tax that this Government now wants to take.”
He added that Environment Secretary Steve Reed said when he was in opposition that the Government would not change agricultural property relief.
“This industry has been betrayed,” Mr Bradshaw went on. “They said they wouldn’t make this change and suddenly they’ve gone ahead and done it.”
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Union chief vows to take on Govt
The president of the National Farmers’ Union (NFU) has said farmers will continue to push back until the Government scraps agricultural inheritance tax changes.
Tom Bradshaw told Sky News: “This will carry on. They cannot have a policy in place which has such disastrous human impacts and think we’re going to go quiet.
“We don’t know what’s next, but I know the membership have never been so united in trying to overturn something in the time that I’ve been farming.”
Asked if farmers will continue on this path until the Government changes its mind, Mr Bradshaw said: “Absolutely.”
The NFU president also warned the tax changes could affect the country’s food security.
He told the broadcaster: “Up until now, any cash which is being generated from a farm business has been reinvested to deliver food production tomorrow, to deliver the food security that Sir Keir Starmer says this country needs.
“But, now, instead of reinvesting in food production it’s going to go into our pensions and into life insurance rather than investing in the very infrastructure that delivers the food security this country needs.”
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‘Catastrophic’ levy
Changes to inheritance tax paid by farmers are “catastrophic” for the agricultural sector, a farmer has said.
Thousands of farmers are descending on the capital to protest against planned changes to agricultural property relief.
Farmers are arriving at Church House Conference Centre where NFU members are meeting on Tuesday morning.
Tom Walton, a farmer from Buckinghamshire, told the PA news agency: “My motivation is to try and engage with the Government to make them understand why the changes that they’ve made in the Budget are so catastrophic for the agricultural sector and the nation’s food security in general.
“This is likely to be the first of many engagements that we have with the Government. If today is successful, then that’s terrific, and if not then we will continue to apply pressure.”
