Thousands of people have protested in London, including Jeremy Clarkson and Nigel Farage, over changes to inheritance tax for farmers announced in the Budget. The Budget, which was the first ever to be based entirely on ideology and not economics, will see thousands of family farms destroyed as it demands farmers pay £600,000 on average for when a relative dies.
Rachel Reeves is said to have a 'sixth-form level' understanding of how the country works, believing that farmers are either landed gentry, or nouveau riche buying land to avoid inheritance tax. Both Starmer and Reeves look at everything through a Marxist lens so can't help but see family farmers as evil land owners, the cousin of the evil factory owner. In their eyes farmers are part of the Bourgeoisie. It really is that juvenile.
Since her budget Reeves has claimed that the changes will only effect a small proportion of farmers, saying that only 18% qualify. However, Vision News can reveal that this figure is false. The real figure is 66% and here's why:
122,000 Family Farms in the UK.
According to The Royal Countryside Fund UK and agricology.co.uk there are approximately 122,000 family owned farms in the UK.
66% of Family Farms are valued over £1m.
DEFRA's own figures show 66% of farms are valued at over £1 million and that the government has undervalued many estates.
80,520 Family Farms will be affected.
66% of 122,000 is calculated as follows:
122,000×0.66=80,520. (So, 66% of 122,000 is 80,520.
Average value of a family farm in 2024 could be over £5 million.
According to both Farmers Weekly fwi.co.uk and estate agents Savills savills.co.uk Fully Equipped Family Farms: A mid-sized family farm of around 500 acres might be valued at over £5 million, considering average land prices and additional infrastructure like buildings.
Tax bill of £800,000 faced by thousands of farmers upon parent's death.
For a farm worth £5 million:
The first £1 million is tax-free.
The remaining £4 million is taxed at 20%, resulting in an inheritance tax bill of £800,000.
New rules will come in on 1st April 2026.
In the UK, inheritance tax (IHT) for family farms will undergo the changes starting in April 2026. Key points include:
Tax-Free Threshold: The first £1 million of combined business and agricultural assets remains fully exempt from IHT under Agricultural Property Relief (APR).
Tax Above the Threshold: For assets exceeding £1 million, relief is reduced to 50%, meaning a 20% effective tax rate applies to the value above this threshold. Previously, 100% relief was available for qualifying agricultural assets.
Farmer's have shouted foul, expressing their dismay at the new tax plan. Some are giving Reeves the benefit of the doubt, claiming that this is just a mistake. It is not a mistake. It is a deliberate act. After the Budget Reeves celebrated with the rest of the cabinet, celebrating what they see as their 'gotcha' moment.
And it isn't just the Government who harbour a hatred for farmers. The entire left-wing media have seemingly jumped on the bandwagon. Guardian columnist Will Hutton angered Twitter users by claiming that Farmers had just been "hoarding land"
.Matthew Wright speaking on LBC claimed the Farmers had 'reaped what they'd sowed' after voting for Brexit.
The outrage caused by this Marxist policy has galvanised Farmers with over 10,000 of them descending on parliament. Jeremy Clarkson who spoke at the protest branded the BBC “the mouthpiece of this infernal Government” after Victoria Derbyshire spouted the same bollocks Rachel Reeves had said.
Clarkson, who became a farmer five years ago, said he was “staggered” by the costs involved, adding: “What’s the point? You’re just trying to make breakfast, lunch, dinner and there’s just endless moaning and no money in it.”
Referring to the interview he had just done with BBC Newsnight, he said that presenter Victoria Derbyshire had cited Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ calculation that 72 per cent of farms would be unaffected by the IHT tax changes. He then asked farmers in the crowds to raise their hands and then drop them if they believed they would be unaffected - showing very few arms falls down.
He added: “Since when was the BBC the mouthpiece of this infernal Government?”
Finishing his brief speech, Clarkson said: “I beg of the Government to be big - to accept this was rushed through, it wasn’t thought through and it was a mistake.”
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