Farmers protest: Kit Malthouse MP calls for reverse to tax

Kit Malthouse MP joined thousands of farmers in Whitehall yesterday, November 19, to protest against the government’s changes to inheritance tax. 

The rally, which was attended by an estimated 13,000 people, according to police, was held alongside a mass lobby of MPs by members of the National Farmers’ Union (NFU).

Speaking during the event, Kit Malthouse expressed concerns that farmers will not be able to afford to pay the tax and will have to sell the land.

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Kit Malthouse at the protest (Image: Contributed)

He said: "We are lucky to live amidst 200 square miles of beautiful Hampshire downland which has been cared for over the centuries by successive farming families.

"They work hard doing an incredibly important job, very long days in all weather conditions and they are often cash poor.

"If these changes to inheritance tax go ahead, many families will be forced to sell off their farms to pay the tax, and we will lose them for good.

"Jobs and entire livelihoods will be lost in a sector we rely on not just locally but nationally too."

He called on the Labour government to re-think the plan altogether.

He said: "The government should reverse this poor and rushed decision."

Following the protest, Kit met with a group of local farmers in Parliament and vowed to continue his opposition to this policy.

Farmers reacted with anger and dismay to the inheritance tax changes for farming businesses, which limit the existing 100 per cent relief for farms to only the first £1 million of combined agricultural and business property.

But ministers have said farmers are “wrong” to think that thousands of farm businesses will be affected by the changes, insisting only around 500 of the wealthiest estates will have to pay tax under the move.

The Government has also said they had put a record £5 billion aside over two years for sustainable farming, but farmers warn of of the impact of speeding up the phase-out of EU-era subsidies as funding is switched to nature-friendly land management schemes, and other measures in the Budget.

Some farmers warn they will have to sell off land to meet the inheritance tax costs and are threatening to strike over the pressures they say they are being put under by Government policy, while there are warnings over people’s mental health.