Farmers are staging another tractor protest outside Parliament as they continue their campaign against Labour’s changes to inheritance tax rules.
The tractor rally, organised by Save British Farming, comes as MPs debate an e-petition with more than 148,000 signatures calling to keep the current inheritance tax exemptions for working farms.
Labour has insisted it will not make a U-turn on its plans to introduce a 20% inheritance tax rate on farms worth more than £1 million.
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage addressed farmers making a pit stop on their way into London for this afternoon’s protest.
Calling for “persistent and peaceful” protest, he said: “I’m pleased to see the campaign is ramping up. It’s growing right across the country.”
Follow the latest updates below...
Key Points
- 'Let’s say no to death taxes' says Nigel Farage at rally as he insists that farmers can stop changes to inheritance tax
- Tractors fill Whitehall as huge protest gets underway
Live coverage ends
20:00 , Josh SalisburyWe are now ending over live coverage for the evening.
Tractors have now dispersed from Whitehall after a day -long protest over inheritance tax changes, bringing gridlock to roads in central London.
For an overview of the day’s developments, visit here.
Tractors now cleared from Whitehall
19:53 , Josh SalisburyTractors have now cleared from Whitehall, according to traffic monitoring sites.
Tractors had blocked the major central London road in a protest over changes to inheritance tax.
Police said the tractors began leaving around two hours ago, and as of 8pm, the road is now reopened.
Changes needed to farmer inheritance tax, says Labour MP
18:57 , Josh SalisburyDavid Smith, the Labour MP for North Northumberland, told the debate that few farms in his constituency would fall below the £1 million threshold and be exempted from the tax.
"The value of the land is often not bearing a relation to the limited cashflow or profit that is being made," he said, adding that "raising the threshold would provide instant peace of mind to family farmers".
Mr Smith also suggested an "active farmer test" using Government data to "judge if the land is being put to public use", and proposed a "clawback" system so the Treasury could charge for the relief if a farmer's beneficiary sells the land within a short period of time after a death.
'Farmers are not millionaires', says MP
18:56 , Josh SalisburyFarmers who work on a £5 million estate are not themselves millionaires, a debate on inheritance tax changes has been told.
MP Sam Rushworth said: “If you inherit a £5 million farm, you're not a millionaire, you're the custodian of agricultural land with the responsibility to farm it to produce food for the nation."
The MP for Bishop Auckland said that "there was more that could have been done by the previous government on things like trade deals, supply chains, flood defences and on crime", adding: "They have no problem with the principle, with the principle that we should be closing tax loopholes.
"They want to stop billionaires, to quote The Telegraph, from hoovering up agricultural land which they know is pushing up land prices.
"And they even support the principle of paying tax and raising revenue for the Treasury, because they know that Treasury revenue is necessary to improve the NHS and to improve schools in their communities, as well as a strong agricultural budget.
"But they are asking, and they're not asking, by the way, for a full U-turn, but they are asking for some meaningful tweaks that will help the policy to better target the goals that it intends to achieve."
He said that the £1 million threshold, with inheritance tax applied at a rate of 20% above on land worth more than this from April 2026, "is quite low".
Farmer debate: Farming looks easy when your plough is a pencil
18:29 , Josh SalisburyMPs are currently debating the inheritance tax changes - with Parliamentarians being told of the difficulties of being a farmer.
Speaking in the debate, South Cotswold Liberal Democrat MP Dr Roz Savage says, quoting Dwight Eisenhower: “Ploughing looks might easy when your plough is a pencil and you’re a thousand miles away from the cornfield.
“Too often, this Government appears to be a thousand miles away from the cornfield ... Farmers are distraught. As we seek to reverse the destruction of nature in our severely nature-depleted country, it’s clear we need the participation of the sector that manages 70 per cent of our land.”
Whitehall remains closed amid protest
17:51 , Josh SalisburyWhitehall remains closed due to the farmers’ protest.
According to traffic monitoring site Inrix, Whitehall remains closed on Whitehall between Trafalgar Square and Parliament Square because of the demonstration.
There is congestion to the Strand, Pall Mall and Piccadilly, and back onto Millbank and Victoria Embankment.
Vehicles are currently stationary on Whitehall, while Northumberland Avenue is also closed.
'We're cash poor but asset rich'
17:04 , Will MataA fourth-generation farmer who helps out on her family farm has told the Standard that farmers already face huge pressures and the changes to inheritance tax will damage people’s mental health further.
Bizza Walters, whose family run a farm in Warwickshire, explained: “We are cash-poor but asset-rich. While a lot of the public might see that we have acres of land and big fancy tractors that’s just so we can do our job.
“So much of our profit and income goes back into the farm and is tied back into the farm. It’s like a factory floor.
“Food security really should be first and foremost on everyone’s mind. We are a growing population, our landmass is decreasing because we’re building everywhere… how are we going to feed all these people? Where are we going to grow this food?
“There are huge pressures. We are about to go into lambing. I was up at 2am this morning to check the machine while also working a full-time job. I’m not complaining that’s just how life is for us.
“When you’re lumped with this 20% inheritance tax of course it’s going to affect people mentally.”
Pictures of the day
17:03 , Will Mata
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'Final nail in the coffin'
16:57 , Will MataBizza Walters, who was born and raised on a farm in Warwickshire and helps look after 600 sheep, has told the Standard her family would have to pay around £1 million to keep their farm if the changes to inheritance tax go ahead.
Her family farm is run by her father and two uncles and she would be the fourth generation to look after the site.
Ms Walters told the Standard: “I don’t work on the farm full time as it can’t sustain four salaries but I have my own sheep.
“One day I’d like to be able to work on the farm but with everything going on I’m quite pleased I have an alternative career.”
Ms Walters described how the changes to inheritance tax feel like the “final nail in the coffin”.
She continued: “It’s another tax that is being implemented on us. We are price takers, not price givers. We get told what we are getting paid.”
Tom Bradshaw of NFU addresses crowd
16:55 , Will MataTom Bradshaw, president of the NFU, has spoken to the crowd.
“I'm proud to be one small part of this massive, massive cog we are,” he said.
“We hunt, we shoot, we fish, we farm, we produce food. “Let's have some respect.”
What is the inheritance tax?
16:47Farmers are taking to the streets once more amid a furious backlash on changes to inheritance tax for farmers.
Previously, farming businesses qualified for 100% relief on inheritance tax on agricultural property and business property.
But now the tax is being imposed on farms worth more than £1 million, with an effective tax rate of 20% on assets above the threshold, rather than the normal 40% rate for inheritance tax.
The Government says that the actual threshold before paying inheritance tax could be as much as £3 million, once exemptions for each partner in a couple and for the farm property are taken into account.
Farage and Rees-Mogg spotted together
15:46 , Will MataFar right Reform leader Nigel Farage joins former Conservative MP Jacob Rees-Mogg at the rally.
The pair joined the farmers in protesting against changes to inheritance tax rules for land ownership for farmers.
James Cleverly spotted on the march
15:13 , Will MataThe Independent has seen former home secretary James Cleverly on the march.
The Conservative has warned that some farms will have to close as a result of the policy.
“It’s a policy based on really, really flaky maths and a whole load of prejudice,” he told Barney Davis.
“If it goes through farms will go under and if that happens, everyone will suffer.”
'Pain for farmers'
15:04 , Will MataSecretary of the National Famers Union in Leicestershire, Tom Shepard, has said that the policy will cause ‘pain’ for farmers.
Mr Shepard, 49, said: "It's desperation that I'm seeing with our local farmers
"The tax has come in with no notice, so the older generation has no opportunity to plan.
"There's just no spare money about to cope with this.”
Mr Shepard also suggested that the policy will not only cause pain for farmers, but also raise food prices and mean the UK will have to source produce from other countries which employ more environmentally damaging practices than domestic farmers.
NFU farmers call for u-turn on government policy
15:01 , Will MataFarmers are feeling the situation would leave them needing to sell farms and not pass them on.
Ivan Teivey, 54, owns a third-generation 400 acre farm in Leicestershire and now fears he won't be able to pass on his business to his children.
Mr Teivey said: "If this goes through and I die my children will have to sell it.
"I'll have to get rid of half the land and it's just not viable after that. I'm hopeful the government is going to turn around on this.”
Richard Miles, 55, who works on his father’s 800 acre farm in the same area added: "This tax is really going to affect us, we don't have the financial leeway for it, our farm isn't making a lot money at the moment so I'm not sure what we'll have to do.”
Pictures show the scale of tractor protests
14:34 , Jacob PhillipsHundreds of tractors have lined Whitehall as farmers once again protest against proposed changes to inheritance tax.
A stage is being set up near Westminster with speeches expected to start within the next hour.
Here are some of the best pictures from the protest so far:
US trade deal would leave British farming with 'no hope' says protest organiser
14:18 , Jacob PhillipsReform UK leader Nigel Farage has been greeting farmers on Monday and backing their cause to stop changes to inheritance tax.
But one of the farming protest’s organisers has warned that Mr Farage’s links with US President Donald Trump may damage Britain’s farms.
Liz Webster, from Save British Farming, told Sky News: “Nigel wants to be part of our tribe. But Nigel loves America and he puts Trump first.
“If we put Trump first and put America first then British farming will not survive an American trade deal.
“They say American first for a reason... They are very aggressive exporters, there is no hope for British farming if we have an American trade deal.
“So if Nigel wants to come in with us he needs to drop his desire to do a trade deal with America and I can’t see any of that happening.”
'My fear is that I will be the last generation to farm our land' says farmer
14:08 , Jacob PhillipsAlan Hughes, a farmer in the Hereford-Shropshire border region, said he had to run farm diversifications “just to stay afloat and pay the bills”.
Addressing the crowd at the Farmers To Action campaign event at Belmont Farm on Monday morning, Mr Hughes, 36, added: “My fear, like many here, is that I will be the last generation to farm our land.
“Labour do not want farmers. They want large corporations to produce food, because they know those that control the food we eat, control the nation.”
'The next generation won't know faming like we have' says protester
13:56 , Jacob PhillipsNicola Roper has brought her 12-year-old daughter Lola to protest in Westminster from their farm in East Yorkshire.
Mrs Roper married into a family farm eight years ago and now believes her husband may have to sell off land to pay the inheritance tax.
She said: "If this tax is implemented the next generation won't know farming like we have.
"If people knew more about it maybe we wouldn't be where we are now. "Hopefully they make the right decision in Parliament.
"Whether you're a big farm or a small farm it's not going to be a good outcome, it will affect everybody.
"For us, it will definitely be a struggle.”
Lola added: "It’s very exciting, we took a 3-hour train to get here and I think it's important."
Tractors fill Whitehall as huge protest continues
13:53 , Matt WattsImages show tractors filling Whitehall as farmers and their tractors protest over the changes to inheritance tax.
Hundreds of farmers have descended on the capital ahead of MPs later debating an e-petition with more than 148,000 signatures calling to keep the current inheritance tax exemptions for working farms.
'It's going to hit everything' warns protester
13:38 , Jacob PhillipsA protester who drove a tank to Westminster to join the farmers’ protest has told the Standard they have come to raise awareness of how inheritance tax rises will affect veterans as well as farmers.
Chris, from Farmers To Action, travelled to Westminster after attending a protest in North London where Nigel Farage spoke earlier today.
Sitting proudly atop a tank Chris, who did not give his surname, told the Standard: "It's going to hit everything, not just farmers
"We are here to bring awareness about what's happening to the country."
Tractors line the streets of Westminster
13:02Tractors, and even a tank, have begun to line the streets of Westminster as the farmer’s protest is due to get underway imminently.
Inheritance tax changes will cause 'humanitarian crisis' says protest organiser
12:51 , Jacob PhillipsOne of the organisers of the farmer’s protest on Monday has warned that elderly farmers know they can save their family farms if they die before the deadline for inheritance tax changes come in.
Liz Webster from Save British Farming told Sky News: “The inheritance tax itself if it continues until next April is going to cause a humanitarian crisis.
“Many elderly farmers know that they can save their family farm by not being alive after that deadline. That is a really, heartbreaking and terrifying reality.
“And that’s why so many farmers are [protesting] because we want to look after our farming families. We are a community.”
'It's time for people to unite' says protester
12:46 , Jacob PhillipsA political campaigner has been greeting passers-by with a Sir Keir Starmer face mask and a trumpet as protesters began to arrive in Westminster.
Herbert Crossman, from Harrow, arrived early to support the farmers against the proposed inheritance tax.
Mr Crossman, 77, said: "I'm here to support the farmers. It's time for people to unite, not only with farmers but with pensioners and everyone.
“Enough’s enough. I know farmers and some of them are having to pack it up, and it's a shame we've lost all these places that are so important."
The protester told the Standard he is best known for hanging himself upside down from a crane in Trafalgar Square in 2008 to demonstrate against the cost of living.
'Our food system could collapse' warns protest organiser
12:38 , Jacob PhillipsOne of the organisers of the farmers’ protest taking place on Monday has warned that “our food system could collapse” and that there will be “major problems” if the Government does not shift its position.
Organiser Liz Webster, from Save British Farming, told SkyNews: “Whether you live in the city or the countryside you rely on a farmer for food.
“If the government continue with these policies we will really be in trouble for food.”
She continued: “If you look at it from a food security point of view we are all not making enough money to really make a proper wage.
“So the very, big farms while they might have a lot of asset value there still isn’t enough money in there to pay huge inheritance tax bills.
“What it means is our food system will collapse and we will not have enough food. That is what people need to think about.”
Nigel Farage joins farmers and their tractors at Belmont Farm in north London
11:29Farmers are heading to Westminster once again to protest against changes to inheritance tax, which they say will “devastate farms nationwide” and force families to sell up.
They have already met at Belmont Farm in Mill Hill to hear from Reform UK leader Nigel Farage.
Mr Farage told farmers gathered: “They have got 100 Labour MPs that are representing rural or semi-rural constituencies.
“And from what I can see Joe Public is getting behind the concept that the family farm should not be driven out of existence.
“Politically I think we can win this.”
He added: “Let’s say no to death taxes. End death taxes full stop.”
Nearly 150,000 sign petition to keep inheritance tax rules the same for working farms
11:11 , Jacob PhillipsMonday’s tractor rally, organised by Save British Farming, comes as MPs debate an e-petition with more than 149,000 signatures calling to keep the current inheritance tax exemptions for working farms.
The petition has warned that the changes could “devastate farms nationwide, forcing families to sell land and assets just to stay on their property”.
Some farmers have said their families could be forced out within two generations.
Responding to the petition the Treasury said that the Government’s commitment to farmers remains “steadfast”.
But the Government has insisted that there is also “an urgent need to repair the public finances” and very significant levels of relief from inheritance tax beyond what is available have been maintained for farmers.
Parliament is due to debate the petition on Monday.
Farmers protests can be successful if 'persistent and peaceful' - Farage
11:00 , Jacob PhillipsReform UK leader Nigel Farage said a campaign by farmers against changes to inheritance tax rules can be successful if it is “persistent and peaceful”.
Speaking at a Farmers To Action campaign event in north London before a tractor rally in Westminster, Mr Farage told the PA news agency: “I’m pleased to see the campaign is ramping up. It’s growing right across the country.
“The message I’ve been putting to them, I think they’re listening too, which is 100 Labour MPs now represent rural seats – if they see local communities getting behind these families, they’re going to start getting scared, and they’re going to start putting pressure on No 10, and let’s face it, they’re in pretty big trouble already.
“So I think if this campaign is persistent and peaceful, they can get change.”
Asked if he thought inheritance tax should be scrapped completely, Mr Farage said: “Yes, I do actually. You’re basically taxing money that’s been taxed already as a death tax, and it’s horrible.
“People living in semi-detached houses in London are now dragged into inheritance tax.
“And yes, of course, you can do seven-year planning and all the rest of it, but unlikely things happen.
“I honestly believe just getting rid of inheritance tax as a whole would be a good thing.”
