By GB News (Politics) | Created at 2024-11-17 14:50:57 | Updated at 2024-11-24 22:45:48
1 week ago
Sir Keir Starmer has been warned farmers could “easily” ensure supermarket shelves are left empty as unrest grows over Labour’s inheritance tax changes.
Farmer Jo Hilditch joined Dawn Neesom on GB News to criticise Rachel Reeves’s Budget, claiming the Chancellor got the numbers wrong while drawing up plans.
Asked by Dawn just how far farmers might be prepared to go to force the Government’s hand, Hilditch ruled out any Just Stop Oil-like tactics.
But she said they could “easily” ensure food supply is heavily disrupted.
“Think about your food and where it comes from and where it will keep coming from. There’s no doubt prices will go up if this crusade continues.”
The new taxes for farms worth more than £1 million have left farmers feeling “betrayed”, according to the farming union chief.
But he told Sky News withholding food should not be on the table.
“That is not an NFU tactic, we do not support emptying supermarket shelves, but I do completely understand the strength of feeling that there is amongst farmers, they feel helpless today, and they’re trying to think of what can they do to try and demonstrate what this means to them.
Jo Hilditch joined Dawn Neesom on GB News
GB NEWS
“So look, I understand their strength of feeling, but we are not supporting that action.”
Treasury data shows that around three-quarters of farmers will pay nothing in inheritance tax as a result of the controversial changes announced in the Budget last month.
But farmers have challenged the figures, pointing to data from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which suggests 66 per cent of farm businesses are worth more than the £1 million threshold at which inheritance tax will now need to be paid.
Starmer has repeatedly defended changes to inheritance tax for farms, insisting most will be unaffected and the Government just needs to “keep explaining” how it will work.
The Prime Minister said during a visit to North Wales on Friday: “I know some farmers are anxious about the inheritance tax rules that we brought in two weeks ago.
“What I would say about that is, once you add the £1 million for the farm land to the £1 million that is exempt for your spouse, for most couples with a farm wanting to hand on to their children, it’s £3 million before anybody pays a penny in inheritance tax.
“And that is why the vast majority of farms are going to be totally unaffected by this. And it’s really important we get that through.”
He added: “So we just need to keep explaining how that works, because I know it’s caused some anxiety.”
