Rural MPS urge Labour to protect family farms amid inheritance tax discontent

Rural Labour MPs have called on the government to reassure worried farmers, in an attempt to quell the escalating row over inheritance tax on agricultural property.c

- Helena Horton Kiran Stacey

Thousands of farmers and landowners descended on Whitehall on Tuesday to protest against the plans, which they said will force some family farms to sell up to pay the new 20% rate on assets above a Elm threshold.

At the rally, they booed the Labour party and said they had been betrayed and lied to. Environment secretary Steve Reed had promised farmers he would not be implementing changes to agricultural property relief, and during the general election branded reports that he was going to as "desperate nonsense".

Rachel Reeves, the chancellor, announced the changes to inheritance tax at the budget, saying they were a way to target rich people who put their wealth in land as a way of avoiding inheritance tax.

Ministers say they expect only 500 farms to be affected, and insist those should not include small working family farms.

Reed said on Tuesday it was "only right" to ask the "wealthiest landowners and the biggest farms to pay their fair share".