Tractors and Tweed: Farmers Demand Inheritance Tax Reversal
Nov 19, 2024 at 6:47 PM
On Tuesday, a remarkable sight unfolded in the capital as honking tractors, accompanied by young farmers and a sea of people dressed in tweed and wellies, signaled the countryside's arrival. These farmers had come to demand the scrapping of Labour's budget changes to inheritance tax on agricultural businesses. Despite the harsh weather conditions, including plummeting temperatures and sleet, thousands of food producers, accustomed to working in all elements, made the journey from across the UK to Westminster. Many had boarded buses that braved the snow, while others had set off the previous night and were engaged in quiet conversations about Jeremy Clarkson, the renowned Top Gear presenter who had become a farming celebrity and joined them for dinner. The volume of attendees was astonishing, considering the rarity of farmers taking a day off, let alone in such large numbers. The Metropolitan police estimated that there were 13,000 participants at the peak of the rally, leading them to prevent the crowd from marching down Whitehall for safety reasons.Many farmers brought donations for the City Harvest food bank. Farmer Andrew Ward, one of the rally's organizers, stated that the amount was "tonnes and tonnes of food." Limited to a procession around Parliament Square, many protesters held signs criticizing "Farmer harmer Starmer" as they awaited the opportunity to hear from politicians and Clarkson.Although the rally was mostly characterized by good spirits, there was a sense of gloom as farmers discussed the deaths of themselves or their parents. Many feared that this could lead to the demise of their family farms. Penny Fortescue, a 69-year-old sheep and arable farmer from Cambridgeshire, said, "It's a way of life. We endure the hassles every day because it's our way of life; we care about providing food. Otherwise, we wouldn't do it as there isn't much money in it." Deluged by recent heavy rain, Fortescue now worries that her way of life cannot be passed on to her daughter and son-in-law if an inheritance tax bill devours all their profits. "I have cancer, and my partner has cancer. I don't know how long we will live. And if we try to hand over the farm within seven years, we can't afford to live as it's our pension," she added. Matt Swales, her son-in-law, said, "We will have to sell a portion of our land to pay the inheritance tax. That's the reality."The message from the speakers was one of unity, despite differences over the accuracy of the Treasury's figures and concerns that even medium-sized farms are at risk. Spotting a political opportunity, the new Tory leader, Kemi Badenoch, brought her shadow environment, food, and rural affairs team onto the stage to declare that they would "fight" for farmers. She called on those present to vote for her in the next election to reverse the tax changes. "Farming is not just a business; it's a way of life," she emphasized.The majority of those in attendance were farmers, their families, and supporters. However, conspiracy theorists and far-right activists were also present on the fringes. A contingent from the Homeland party, a far-right group, appeared with a banner saying "Our Homeland needs Farmers" and posed for photos at the Cenotaph.Many farmers who attended the rally had spent part of their morning at the mass lobby event organized by the National Farmers' Union (NFU) and had made appointments with their local MPs, many of whom were newly elected Labour parliamentarians. Gary Yeomans, who farms goats near Abergavenny in Monmouthshire, met Catherine Fookes, the MP for Monmouthshire, along with eight other local farmers. "She was sympathetic. Everyone had their say and remained calm," Yeomans said. "She said she wasn't prepared to vote against the government, but mentioned that a group of 40 rural Labour MPs had come together."Others were disappointed as they missed meeting with their MPs, either due to a long queue to enter the building where their offices are or because their representative was unavailable. Chris Robinson, a beef and sheep farmer from the Derbyshire dales, waited in vain for over an hour and a half to get into Portcullis House to meet his MP. Meanwhile, Tom Rees from the Vale of Glamorgan in Wales was frustrated to have been informed in advance that his MP, Labour's Kanishka Narayan, was away from Westminster on that day. "I'm angry," Rees said, adding that the newly elected Narayan is the parliamentary private secretary to the environment secretary, Steve Reed. "He needed to be present."
