2024-11-20
27 分钟More than 10,000 farmers converged on Whitehall protesting against Labour’s plans for inheritance tax on farms. Heather Stewart reports. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus
This is the Guardian.
Today, why Britain's farmers are in revolt.
Londoners are used to protests, but not like the one that brought the capital to a standstill.
On Tuesday.
Over 10,000 farmers came from all over Britain.
Some had driven through the night on their tractors and arrived bleary eyed in dirty wellies.
Others wore waterproof jackets with the slogan Starmer the Farmer Harmer.
A few were carrying crates of cauliflowers and bags of potatoes to be donated to food banks.
All were furious.
I am the fourth generation of my farm and, you know, my father worked until he was 84.
Farmers don't retire, they work hard.
And we took over 15 years ago when my father died and we have children and grandchildren and I was hoping that they would carry on the tradition.
But with this inheritance tax, probably we won't be able to.
Inside Parliament 1804, farmers were lobbying their MPs.
They want to stop the government imposing inheritance tax on farms worth more than a million pounds.
You know, we have no money in the bank.
We have land, but we don't have money to pay the government.
And we just feel it's so unfair.
I think it's short sighted.
They really haven't thought it through.