Get ready for farmageddon

Is Westminster ready for farmageddon? Tomorrow will see the greatest political demonstration for a rural cause since the passage of the Hunting Act in 2004. Thousands are expected to descend on Whitehall to protest Rachel Reeves’ changes to inheritance tax for farms. Those worth more than £1 million will face an effective inheritance tax (IHT) rate of 20 per cent from April 2026 – which rural groups fear will ‘kill’ the family farm.

The National Farmers’ Union (NFU) is hosting a conference event at Church House in Parliament Square from 9 a.m. tomorrow morning. Up to 1,800 members – divided into three groups of 600 – will be able to attend its sessions. These aim to allow farmers to lobby their MPs urge the Chancellor to reconsider. More than 50 new Labour MPs now sit for rural areas; it remains to be seen how many will brave the gauntlet. As the NFU notes, ‘the level of anger in the industry may never have been so high’, with discontent growing, rather than abating.