Kemi Badenoch’s stark warning came as she joined 10,000 farmers and celebrities, Jeremy Clarkson, Kaleb Cooper and Andrew Lloyd Webber, who descended on Whitehall angered by the changes that would see a 20% levy slapped on holdings valued above £1 million.
Vowing to reverse the tax “at the first opportunity,” she said: “Labour’s Family Farm Tax will destroy farming in Britain.
“The young farmers I speak to are worried that they will be paying off inheritance tax for decades before they make a profit.
“And if that is the situation, then they will leave farming altogether. If we don’t have a next generation, there will be no future for farming.”
“Farming is the backbone of this country. Without it, we cannot survive. Labour must U-turn and end this cruel policy so that our young farmers have a future to inherit.”
Clarkson, star of Amazon Prime’s hit show Clarkson’s Farm, said, “It’s the end” for farmers as he called for the government to reverse the “Tractor Tax.”
The former Top Gear presenter said the change to inheritance tax was “a very rushed last-minute decision”, adding: “I think we all make mistakes in life, and I think it’s time for them to say ‘you know what, we’ve cocked this one up a bit’ and back down.”
Clarkson, 64, also became embroiled in a fiery interview with the BBC’s Victoria Derbyshire, lashing out: “Typical BBC. You people,” after she questioned his motives.
He later accused the BBC of being a “mouthpiece of this infernal Government.”
His farming sidekick Cooper also warned: “If you don’t get the investment, you will be hit with food shortages.”
He added: “We want our younger ones to take on our farms, our heritage.
“And for example, for me, I haven’t got a farm to pass down, but I have got a business that I’ve grown since I was 16 years old, so to pass that on to my child now, I’m going to get taxed on that.”
Composer Lloyd Webber described farmers as the “salt of the earth who really keep our countryside going”.
The farm owner warned that in the long term, the tax would lead to farms being bought up by “foreigners, outsiders, people who are not buying for the love of the countryside.”
He warned: “Many many many people are hovering around at the moment rubbing their hands in glee at all of this, and I can assure you they are not British.”
Their rallying cry adds further weight to the Daily Express Save Britain’s Family Farms crusade, which demands a U-turn on the decision.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who was 6,000 miles away attending the G20 Summit in Rio de Janeiro, said he understood farmers’ concerns and “wants to support” them, but he claimed, “the vast majority of farms would be unaffected at all by this.”
The changes will kick in from April 2026.
Speaking exclusively to the Express, Reform leader Nigel Farage accused Labour of a war on rural England.
“I tell you something – I am convinced that if this goes through, by the end of the next five years, they’ll even ban shooting,” he said.
“We are not yet quite at the liquidation of the kulaks. I won’t go quite that far but this feels to me like a broader war against rural England.
“They’ve got no respect for our traditions, our culture, our countryside, and I think this is the start of a real fight. This is day one of a real fight.”
National Farmers Union (NFU) president Tom Bradshaw said the changes were the “straw that broke the camel’s back”.
Speaking at a separate rally of farming union members in Westminster said the Chancellor has “refused to engage” with farmers since the budget.
“We’ve offered to meet with the Treasury to give them solutions to this; unfortunately, so far, Rachel Reeves has refused to engage,” he said.
“I’ve given a heartfelt plea to the Chancellor to sit down with me so that we can sort this policy out.
“The human impact of this policy is one I don’t believe they intended, but the longer they leave this hanging, the more I start to think it’s vindictive rather than miscalculated.”
The number of farms that could be affected by the inheritance tax change is disputed.
The government says it will only affect the wealthiest 500 estates yearly, but the NFU and the Country Land and Business Association (CLA) estimate that up to 70,000 farms could be affected.
An analysis by the NFU suggested that 75% of commercial farms over 50 acres would be affected by the changes.
Shadow foreign secretary Priti Patel said she wanted to give “Starmer the farmer harmer double barrels”.
Ms Patel said: “I think this government is totally ignorant when it comes to the British countryside. They live in their socialist bubble; they do not understand farming or British agriculture.”
The Chancellor and Environment Secretary Steve Reed released a statement ahead of the protest, saying they “recognise the strength of feeling expressed” but need to ensure the “most valuable farms pay their fair share.”
They added: “We are steadfast in our commitment to Britain’s farming industry because food security is national security.
“It’s why we are investing £5 billion into farming over the next two years – the largest amount ever directed towards sustainable food production, rural economic growth and nature’s recovery in our country’s history.”
Under the new rules, farms would be affected by the 20% inheritance tax on any value above £1 million, not the whole value.
There is no inheritance tax to be paid on the value of property up to £325,000, bringing the untaxed total to £1.325m
If a farmer is married, their spouse would be able to pass on another £1.325m tax-free, taking the total untaxed amount to £2.65m
In addition, there is a £175,000 tax-free allowance on a main residence when it’s being passed on to children or grandchildren. This brings the total untaxed amount for a farming couple to up to £3 million.
Rural affairs minister Daniel Zeichner suggested farmers could avoid paying inheritance tax.
Speaking to John Pienaar on Times Radio, he said: “Tens of thousands of family farms across the country will not be affected by this, and of course, with a bit of planning, no inheritance tax will be payable at all.
“So we’re absolutely determined to protect the family farms. But what we have been seeing is people coming in, buying up land for purposes of tax avoidance.
“And we just don’t think that’s the right thing for the future of the farming sector or the right thing in general for the public.
“Everyone else has to pay inheritance tax. And we think we should clamp down on these tax avoidance.”
