Rachel Reeves warned her ‘poisonous cocktail’ is ‘the ultimate nail within the coffin’ for farmers | Politics | News | EUROtoday

Rachel Reeves has been warned her “toxic Budget cocktail” is the “final nail in the coffin” for farmers.

Farming influencer, Gareth Wyn Jones, and Liz Webster of Save British Farming joined hundreds of indignant farmers outdoors Parliament on Wednesday to protest towards the Chancellor’s Budget modifications.

Mr Wyn Jones, talking in Whitehall, central London, informed Express.co.uk: “What made me want to turn out today was frustration, anger and wanting to protect the future for my children and other people’s children on the land, producing food affordably for this nation.”

Asked if the Labour Government’s modifications to inheritance tax will destroy household farms, he mentioned: “Definitely. They haven’t done their maths very well and we can see the baseline at £1 million was ridiculous. If they were going after the big landowners and the people with a lot of money, they would have lifted that to the top.”

As a part of the Chancellor’s modifications, a 20% inheritance tax (IHT) fee on farms price greater than £1m will probably be launched. The modifications additionally embody dashing up the phase-out of EU-era subsidies.

Mr Wyn Jones mentioned: “It’s frustrating because a lot of these farms aren’t making a profit anyway. They’re on their knees and I think this is the final nail in the agricultural coffin.”

Ms Webster, who based the Save British Farming marketing campaign group which organised the tractor protest with Kent Fairness for Farmers, mentioned the Budget delivered a “toxic cocktail”.

She informed Express.co.uk: “Farmers have had decades of really bad agricultural policy and being forced to work for nothing.

“We’ve performed that as a result of we really feel the funding has gone into our farms and we’re capable of go them on to future generations however this Budget has delivered a poisonous cocktail which is spelling the dying knell for farming until we get change.

“It’s robbery really because we’ve all invested hard in our farms, knowing that we’re working often for a loss, but the money’s gone into the farm.

“But now with this inheritance tax it means we’ll must promote our farms to pay for deaths.”

Mr Wyn Jones described the death tax change as a “bombshell” for farmers, especially after Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer told farmers at the National Farmers’ Union (NFU) conference he would protect family farms.

Sir Keir told the NFU before the general election that Labour wanted a relationship based “on respect and real partnership”, adding farmers deserve a government “that listens”. He promised a “fairer, greener, extra dynamic future” for British farming.

Instead, Mr Wyn Jones said Sir Keir’s “bombshell” Budget had forced farmers to take to the streets in protest. He added: “Farmers do not wish to be right here proper now. Farmers wish to be tending to their crops, with their households, watching over their livestock. No farmer needs to be right here protesting.”

Hundreds of farmers drove their tractors through the streets of Whitehall during the “RIP British Farming” protest. A minute’s silence was held for “farmers who’re now not right here” amid concerns for the well-being of those grappling with the changes.

Will Elliott, 50, drove his tractor for three hours from his farm near Grafham, south of Guildford in Surrey, to attend the protest. He said: “The business is already down on its knees and that is simply one other kick within the tooth.

“Obviously, the idea is that we want to pass it down to the next generation, but farmers are asset-rich, cash poor, we’re not going to have the money to pay the inheritance tax.”

Meanwhile, inside Parliament, Liberal Democrat chief Sir Ed Davey requested if the Prime Minister would “change course”.

Conservative MP Jerome Mayhew accused Sir Keir of being “duplicitous” to farmers through the basic election marketing campaign.

In response, Sir Keir repeated the Government’s line that “the vast majority of farmers will be unaffected”. He sought to focus on the Government’s pledge to spend £5 billion on farming within the subsequent two years, funding which maintains present ranges.