More than half of Britons would support farmers if they decided to strike, according to a new poll which shows the same levels of support seen for nurses and ambulance workers.
Voters back workers in the under-fire farming sector walking out on strike, viewing them as among the worst treated groups by Sir Keir Starmer’s government.
The Ipsos poll found that 55 per cent of respondents would support farmers if they decided to strike, which mirrors the support shown to striking nurses and ambulance workers, both on 56 per cent.
As well as strong public support, half of the public believe farmers are being treated worse than they should be by the PM and his chancellor Rachel Reeves.
Reacting to the poll, Liz Webster, founder of Save British Farming, said: “Keir Starmer got to the top by fence-sitting and being all things to all people.
“Now he’s PM, he’s trying to use the same strategy to deliver decisions for the whole country which are deeply unpopular and have no mandate.
“It is heartwarming to see polling show that the Great British public are swinging behind our farmers, who work so hard to put healthy food on their plates and keep our countryside looking so beautiful.
“It’s time Starmer took off his freebie spectacles which are blurring his vision and recognised that the British public won’t be taken for fools.”
And National Farmers’ Union (NFU) president Tom Bradshaw told The Independent: “The Ipsos polling confirms what we already know – that the public overwhelming supports British farming; something we’re hugely grateful for.
“Our own survey work shows that farmers are viewed as the second-most valued profession in the UK. That’s a reflection of the hard work and dedication farmers put in every day to produce high-quality food, protect the environment and care for the countryside.
“I understand the very real frustration of farmers across the UK and that frustration is clear for all to see. However, strike action or the withholding of produce from shoppers are not courses of action the NFU is taking. We are extremely grateful for the public’s support and do not take it lightly.”
The poll comes just weeks after 13,000 farmers descended on Westminster in a mass rally against Ms Reeves’ Budget, which targeted family farmers with an inheritance tax raid.
Her tax shakeup means that, from April 2026, agricultural estates worth more than £1m will face an effective 20 per cent rate of inheritance tax – half the usual 40 per cent rate.
Coupled with increases in workers’ minimum wage and national insurance for employers, farmers say the “tractor tax” will kill off generations-old family farms across the country.
Another mass demonstration is planned in London for Wednesday, December 11, with farmers flocking to London in tractors to highlight pressures on the industry.
Commenting on the findings, Ipsos senior director of UK politics Gideon Skinner said: “Our polling reveals the extent of public sympathy for farmers, who have joined the likes of nurses and ambulance workers in the level of support Britons think they would have should they choose to strike.
“This is underpinned by a clear sense that farmers are being unfairly treated by the British government – only pensioners (themselves a source of public concern over the removal of the universal winter fuel allowance) are more likely to be seen as getting a bad deal.”
The Ipsos survey shows the extent of Labour’s unpopularity with farmers and underlines the challenges Labour is facing after just five months in government.
The PM has alienated pensioners with his decision to scrap winter fuel payments for millions, while Ms Reeves has infuriated businesses by hammering them with taxes in her October Budget.
After months of falling poll ratings, Sir Keir on Thursday will launch a reset aimed at reversing his government’s fortunes. He will lay out a “plan for change”, setting numerical targets in a range of areas from NHS performance to public safety and living standards to win back the trust of the public.
The goal is to give voters concrete milestones against which to judge him by at the next general election, expected in 2029.
