Protesting the family farm tax (Image: Shadow Cabinet outside College Green in Westminster)
Kemi Badenoch has warned Britain will “never be the same again” if the country loses farmers because of Rachel Reeves’s inheritance tax raid.
The took a petition demanding ministers axe the family farm tax to the Government’s doorstep yesterday.
Mrs Badenoch said: “Britain will never be the same if we lose our farmers. We need to protect them for the next generation.
“Over 200,000 people who have signed our petition against Labour’s Family Farm Tax agree.”
The Chancellor in October announced that inheritance tax relief for farms would be limited to £1million, meaning all assets above that threshold passed down to the next generation would be taxed.
There is a higher threshold of £3 million for couples passing on their farms.
The Treasury says around 500 estates a year are expected to pay inheritance tax under the changes but campaigners warned it could impact around 75,000 farms.
Shadow Environment Secretary, Victoria Atkins MP, said: “Yesterday, 12 year old Bella brought her calf to London to try and make this Labour government listen.
“Children like Bella are facing the brutal reality of Labour’s vindictive Family Farm Tax.
Like so many others, her family’s farm risks being split up and sold off to pay Labour’s tax bills.
“We have handed in our petition today, with over 215,000 signatures, calling on , the Chancellor and City Steve Reed to get a grip, face up to the fact that their numbers are simply wrong, and support the people that feed us.”The Daily Express has called for Ms Reeves to U-turn on her decision through the Save our Family Farms crusade.
A Treasury spokesman said: “Our commitment to farmers remains steadfast – we have committed £5bn to the farming budget over two years, including more money than ever for sustainable food production, and we are developing a 25-year farming roadmap, focusing on how to make the sector more profitable in the decades to come.
“Our reform to agricultural and business property relief will impact around 500 estates a year. For these estates, inheritance tax will be at half the rate paid by others, with 10 years to pay the liability back interest-free. This is a fair and balanced approach which fixes the public services we all rely on.”