A call by farmers’ leaders for its members to keep away from tax protests in Westminster over fears of a risk to public safety were dropped today/ last night after a revolt.
The NFU had urged that only the 1,800 farmers registered to attend an event on November 19 in the capital should go – fearing potential chaos on the streets.
But yesterday (FRI) the union backed down after rebel farmers insisted they would come to the capital to vent their anger at MPs in defiance of the union.
The original event November 19 at Westminster calling on the government to scrap plans for a 20 per cent inheritance tax on farms worth more than £1million.
Confusion over whether farmers not registered to attend with the NFU had been banned by police from taking to the streets were stoked by celebrity farmer Jeremy Clarkson yesterday.
Jeremy Clarkson said he had scrapped plans to join a coach trip from the Cotswolds to protest in the streets of the city but was told the protest was banned for ‘legal reasons’ – a claim that has been strongly denied by the Met Police
A ‘go slow’ tractor protest through Parliament Square in March to raise awareness of the difficulties for the British farming industry which are putting food security at risk
Mr Clarkson said he and fellow growers had booked a coach to join the protest in London – until the trip organisers said the event had been cancelled for legal reasons.
In comments which triggered social media claims of ‘two-tier policing’, Mr Clarkson said in the Sun: ‘It seems that if you are from Just Stop Oil or protesting about Gaza, you can do what you want. But farmers are treated differently by a government that is waging an all-out war on the countryside.’
Yesterday the NFU made clear that the Met had been ‘supportive’ of the farmers’ decision to protest.
The NFU said the site booked, Church House, could only fit in 1,800 people – in three sessions of 600 people during the day – and there was a public safety risk if farmers filled the streets outside.
Staffordshire farmer Clive Bailye led the rebellion over calls to stay home.
He posted on website The Farming Forum: ‘The NFU have organised a ‘mass lobby’ at Westminster on 19th November.’
He added: ‘That event, for NFU members, is full and NFU have said that no one else should come if they do not have a confirmed place. For legal reasons they can not organise anything more … BUT WE CAN!
‘There are many other farmers and supporters desperate for a way to get involved and send a clear message to government of just how damaging this will be to family farm business, rural community / economy and our great British countryside.’
The NFU initially said: ‘Because the venue for the event has a capacity over which we cannot go, we have asked members not registered for the event not to attend.
‘This is to avoid having large numbers of farmers and growers unable to get inside and being in the street, which would present a potential safety issue both to our members and the public.’
Farmers protest outside the Northern Farming Conference in Hexham in Northumberland against the government’s proposals to reform inheritance tax. Pic taken on Wednesday
But yesterday evening the NFU had backed down from its call for farmers and supporters to stay at home and instead said: ‘We urge anyone attending to show off the very best of British agriculture and our deeply held values of trust and respect which runs through the veins of our rural communities.’
The NFU has said that if the government does not back down on November 19, it will call a further demonstration of ‘mass unity and strength’.
A Met Police spokesperson said it had not banned any marches, and added: ‘The National Farmers Union have emphasised that their event at a conference centre in Westminster on 19 November will not be a protest.
‘This is not on advice from the Metropolitan Police, and at no point have we banned anyone from marching on this date.’
A Government spokesperson said its changes to inheritance tax ‘We understand concerns about changes to Agricultural Property Relief but the majority of those claiming relief will not be affected by these changes.’