BBC’s ‘truth-checking’ unit underneath fireplace for ‘quietly deleting assertion’ after saying authorities ‘was proper about variety of farmers to be hit by inheritance tax raid’

The BBC‘s truth checking’ unit was under scrutiny last night after it quietly deleted a statement backing ministers’ claims in their tax-grab battle with farmers.

BBC Verify, a service set up to root out ‘misinformation’, wrote that the government’s figures were ‘likely’ to be right concerning the number of farms affected by the inheritance tax raid.

But after under-fire Keir Starmer trumpeted the BBC’s finding, triggering a political row about bias, the corporation quietly removed it from its website.

The Prime Minister is facing a growing backlash from farmers, celebrities and his own MPs over Labour‘s decision to impose 20 per cent inheritance tax on farms worth more than £1million.

More than 10,000 farmers and high-profile supporters including Jeremy Clarkson and Lord Lloyd Webber descended on Westminster to protest against the controversial policy on Tuesday.

But there have been dramatically conflicting estimates about how many farms will be dragged into the tax changes announced in the Budget.

Ministers insist the reforms will only affect about 500 estates a year. But the Country Land and Business Association claimed 70,000 farms face being snared by the new regime with ‘devastating’ consequences for farming families.

The BBC ‘s ‘truth checking’ unit is under scrutiny after it quietly deleted a statement that backed ministers in their battle with farmers. Pictured: Farmers protesting outside the Houses of Parliament in central London over the changes to inheritance tax

BBC Verify had concluded the government was ‘likely’ to be right about the number of farms affected by tax changes. Pictured: Farmers arriving at Westminster in their tractors for yesterday’s protest against Labour’s inheritance tax grab 

Under-fire Keir Starmer trumpeted the BBC’s finding, triggering a political row.  The corporation then quietly removed the statement from its website. Pictured: Farmers protesting in London

There have been dramatically conflicting estimates about how many farms will be affected by the forthcoming inheritance tax raid announced in the Budget. Here farmers are using megaphones during the protest

Speaking to reporters at the G20 summit in Rio on Tuesday, the Prime Minister insisted ‘the vast majority’ of farmers would be unaffected, telling reporters: ‘All of you can check out what that means in terms of the impact – I think the BBC has already done it. 

‘It means the vast majority of farms are unaffected by this and I think it’s just important we keep making that clear.’

BBC Verify – a service launched last year amid great fanfare ‘dedicated to examining the facts and claims behind a story to try to determine whether or not it is true’ – has backed ministers’ numbers.

 It claimed the 70,000 figure was ‘almost certainly an overestimate’, and said the ‘true’ share of farms affected ‘is likely to be much closer to the Treasury estimates’.

Last night Shadow culture secretary Stuart Andrew said: ‘Taxpayers pay for the BBC to interrogate facts, not mindlessly parrot Government lines.

Labour ministers insist the changes will only affect about 500 estates a year, while farmers’ groups say 70,000 farms face being dragged into the new regime imposing 20 per cent inheritance tax on farms worth more than £1million. Tory leader Kemi Badenoch (pictured) was among those present at the rally

British television presenter and farm owner Jeremy Clarkson puts his fingers in his ears at the protest

The Clarkson’s Farm host waving at fans as he holds a sign reading ‘With our farmers’ 

A protester holds a placard calling UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer a ‘Farmer Harmer’ as thousands of farmers stage a protest against inheritance tax in Whitehall

 ‘These are highly contested statistics on a policy which may have a profound impact on prices in the shops, Britain’s food security and rural life.

‘Farmers deserve better than the diet of half-truths they are currently being fed by the BBC. The matter should be immediately investigated and corrected.’

Nick von Westenholz, director of strategy at the National Farmers’ Union, said: ‘The bottom line is they have no idea how many farms will be affected. HM Treasury hasn’t done that assessment – and the BBC certainly hasn’t!’

A BBC source insisted they had not ‘backed’ anyone, but had drawn conclusions from conversations with tax experts including at the Treasury.

The BBC said: ‘This is an independent factual analysis, quoting a number of different organisations and individuals who have a range of different viewpoints. 

‘It’s routine for us to update online articles, and we’ll continue to update our analysis of this policy as more information and explanation become available.

‘If the changes are material or change our conclusions, we add a note informing readers, for transparency.’

It came as Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner refused to rule out further increases to inheritance tax for farmers at yesterday Prime Minister’s Questions. 

And she claimed it was ‘scaremongering’ to argue that more than 500 farmers will be affected by the inheritance tax changes. 

It also emerged that Labour carried out no impact assessment before launching the tax raid on farmers. Meanwhile, a briefing note with ‘lines to take’ was circulated to Labour MPs instructing them to argue that rich farmers with valuable land should ‘pay their share’.