Police officers have taken a farming protester to task for having a muddy tractor number plate at a demonstration.
Footage shared on social media shows an officer signalling to a man behind the wheel of the farm vehicle, asking if he can do her a favour during the protest in central London on Monday (February 10).
The officer asks: “Can you do me a favour? There’s a bit of mud on your number plate. I know it’s silly, but can you wipe it off for us please?”
Video then shows the man lean out of a rear window, scraping mud off the plate as two officers watch on, with one telling the man it has to be “completely clear”.
The man can be seen removing the mud and shaking it off his hand as the policewoman apologises for asking him to clean it.
A Metropolitan Police spokersperson pointed Express.co.uk to RAC guidance explaining it is illegal to drive with a dirty or obstructed number plate on UK roads.
The guidance adds: “This is because number plates must always be readable and visible to both police and automated systems, such as ANPR (Automatic Number Plate Recognition) cameras.
“If a plate is obscured by dirt, mud, snow, or anything else that makes it difficult to read, it does not comply with the law.”
The tractor was one of scores to fill Whitehall in another protest by farmers against inheritance tax (IHT) changes announced by Chancellor Rachel Reeves in the Budget last October.
Scotland Yard said that as of lunchtime Whitehall would be closed with diversions in place. The force warned of delays in the area, with officers trying to limit disruptions to other roads in the area.
Labour has insisted it will not U-turn on its plans to introduce a 20% IHT rate on farms worth more than £1million.
The changes announced in the Budget are due to come into force in April 2026 and scrap an exemption which meant no inheritance tax was paid to pass down family farms.
Monday’s tractor rally, organised by Save British Farming, came as MPs debated an e-petition with more than 148,000 signatures, calling to keep the current IHT exemptions for working farms.
Alan Hughes, who farms on the Hereford-Shropshire border, said he had to diversify his farm “just to stay afloat and pay the bills”.
Addressing a crowd at Farmers To Action’s campaign event before the protest, Mr Hughes, 36, said: “My fear, like many here, is that I will be the last generation to farm our land.
“Labour do not want farmers. They want large corporations to produce food, because they know those that control the food we eat, control the nation.”
Mr Hughes urged the Government: “You need to abolish inheritance tax for all. You need to stop taxing us to the hilt while sending our money abroad and sort out our national infrastructure and food security.”
The National Farmers’ Union – which has organised previous protests on the issue – said it supports any of its members taking part on Monday.
NFU president Tom Bradshaw said: “The strength of feeling around the proposed family farm tax is still incredibly high.
“We support any members who want to take part in other respectful and lawful demonstrations which work towards our aim to stop the family farm tax.”
