Nigel Farage tells farmers to take protests to Labour-held rural constituencies | Politics | News

Nigel Farage has urged farmers to stage protests in Labour-held rural constituencies.

The Reform UK leader insisted he believes that “something can be done” about the Government’s inheritance tax raid on family farms.

Farmers descended on Westminster today in protest at the plans to limit 100% property relief to the first £1 million of agricultural assets.

Speaking on his GB News show, Mr Farage said: “Labour now have somewhere between 70 and 100 seats they won at the election in rural or semi-rural constituencies.

“And I think what this movement now needs to do is not just to get together in London, but to be seen in market towns all over this country, especially ones that Labour won by very narrow margins at the next general election.

“I always knew that the hunting ban was going to come in. I always knew that no one would listen.

“But this time, I think we can get a change. I think we can get a serious revision of that starting level.”

Mr Farage, who attended the demonstration, said the controversial move will hit family farms hardest.

He said: “I would say my conclusion to all of this is that the small farmer, somebody running five or 10 acres, a smallholder basically, will be fine. The giant agribusinesses, they’ll be fine as well. It’s the people in the middle that simply won’t be fine.

“What this proposal does is to hit families running farms, families whose incomes are incredibly modest, far more modest than I think most people believe they’ve got an asset, yes, that’s worth a lot of money.

“Although for many of them, it isn’t just about money. It’s about a way of life that’s been going on for generations.”

Chancellor Rachel Reeves used her Budget last month to limit the existing 100% inheritance tax relief for farms to only the first £1 million of combined agricultural and business property.

Under the plans, landowners will pay a rate of 20% for anything above that amount.

Ministers have insisted that the vast majority of farms will not be hit by the changes.

But many in the sector have raised concerns that younger generations may need to sell land or buildings to pay tax bills, leading to farms that have been owned by the same family over many years being broken up.