U.K. Farmers Protest in London Over Inheritance Tax Change

Thousands of farmers gathered in central London on Tuesday in the biggest show of opposition to a policy announced by Britain’s center-left Labour government since it won power in July.

Angry at inheritance taxation changes outlined in last month’s budget by the chancellor of the Exchequer, Rachel Reeves, protesters carried placards reading “No farmers no food,” while a procession of tractors drove past Parliament.

While the immediate catalyst for the demonstration was the tax change, it also reflected a broader sense of grievance among some of those who live in the countryside who accuse successive governments of betraying their interests, particularly in the wake of Britain’s withdrawal from the European Union.

The change under Ms. Reeves’s plan applies to people who inherit agricultural assets worth more than a million pounds, about $1.3 million. They were previously exempt from inheritance tax, but will have to pay it at 20 percent — half the standard rate — from April 2026.

The tax would be payable in installments over 10 years interest free, and would still exclude many estates worth less than £3 million because of various allowances, including for married couples. Government figures suggest that 73 percent of farms would be unaffected.

But critics say that the end of the exemption will lead to some families having to sell farms rather than passing them on to the next generation. Despite rain and an icy wind in central London on Tuesday, the police estimated that more than 10,000 people had gathered for the protest against what some call the “tractor tax.” It follows a demonstration last week in Wales outside a conference venue where Prime Minister Keir Starmer was speaking.