Farmer protest organiser was behind racist and homophobic posts on-line

An organiser of this week’s Farmers’ protest in London wrote historic messages including racist and homophobic language online attacking Labour voters, it can be revealed.

Tory donors JCB gave staff at their farming businesses in Staffordshire a day off to attend the rally, where Conservative Leader Kemi Badenoch addressed the crowd.

Lord Bamford, a major Tory donor who let Boris Johnson stay in his guest house rent free for several months, posed for pictures with staff headed to the rally, which were posted on social media.

Clive Bailye, one of the five farmers who organised the march in the capital, is founder of online community The Farming Forum.

But a Mirror investigation found Mr Bailye had posted a series of remarks using racist language, and disparaging remarks towards people with disabilities, the unemployed and LGBT people.

During the 2019 general election, Mr Bailye suggested “only a disabled, unemployed, black, LGBT, transgender, non tax paying, homeless, vegan immigrant in immediate need of NHS help” would vote for Labour.

In other disparaging comments about race, gender, religion, and disabled people, Mr Bailye suggested “the way to get something done is to claim […] you tripped an suffered injury […] maybe throw in something about being a disabled, transsexual, black, muslim, vegan with learning difficulties while your at it”.

In more recent posts, this summer – in the fall out of riots across England – Mr Bailye posted asking whether “if accused of being far right / anti immigrant hate speech in court do we think saying “i’m on the spectrum” would get you off ?”.

He also repeated a conspiracy theory in the same post, saying “We have two tier law in this country it seems”.

Mr Bailye appeared on stage at the protest – standing to the right of former Top Gear host Jeremy Clarkson as he gave his speech.

Mr Bailye was approached for comment.

Around 13,000 farmers and supporters rallied in central London over measures in the Budget including imposing inheritance tax on farms worth more than £1 million and speeding up the phaseout of EU-era subsidies in favour of nature-friendly farming payments.

Environment Secretary Steve Reed has said he heard the “anguish” of the countryside and wanted to support farmers, as he announced a 25-year farming road map to help the sector move to more environmentally and financially sustainable models of agriculture.

Opening the CLA’s rural business conference, the organisation’s president Victoria Vyvyan warned: “Farmers, landowners and businesses in the rural economy are facing a very bleak future, if we have one at all.”

Mr Reed told delegates at the conference in central London that farming leaders and individual farmers he spoke to during Tuesday’s protest had told him the Budget was the “final straw” after decades of issues, as he pledged to work with rural communities to support them.

He was challenged in the conference over the issue of elderly farmers thinking the only way through the changes to inheritance tax was to take their lives before the measures came in in April 2026.

In response, he said he wanted to listen to understand how Government could make the changes easier to bear.