Jeremy Clarkson leaves sick mattress to guide 20,000 farmers in revolt – that is what they need

Jeremy Clarkson has left his sick bed to warn “this is the end” for British farming. The TV presenter turned farm owner has stepped out in support of a 20,000-strong farmers’ protest outside Westminster today to lobby against proposed Inheritance Tax changes put forward by Labour Chancellor, Rachel Reeves.

Thousands of farmers have gathered to in outrage against the changes which they say will have a devastating impact on the industry. Speaking to Sky News, the Clarkson’s Farm star held a sign which read “With our Farmers #together” as he stated: “Please back down.” “It’s the end,” he said after being asked what the news could mean for those working in agriculture.

Earlier this week, the Daily Star reported how 64-year-old Clarkson, who became a farming hero since opening Diddly Squat Farm in the Cotswolds in 2020, was left “barely able to move after undergoing a “life-saving heart procedure”.

But he put his health woes aside, “determined” to get to London in a vow of union against Sir Keir Starmer’s government.

Giving a speech at the protest, he said: “I’m off my t*ts on codeine and paracetemol up here..but I do want to finish with a message to the government…for the sake of everybody here and for all the farmers stuck at home today, paralysed by a fog of despair over what’s been foisted upon them, I beg of the government to be big. To accept that this was rushed through, it wasn’t thought out and it’s a mistake.”

“That’s the big thing to do. Admit it and back down.” 

Currently, farmers are exempt from the 40% Inheritance Tax on farm estates thanks to a series of ‘reliefs’ which apply, with up to 100% relief on farm land being passed to children.

From 2026, those reliefs will be scrapped, meaning farmers will owe up to 40% of the value of the estate to the taxman in a move which the government says will raise £520m of revenue. But farmers argue it will cripple the industry.

The National Farmers’ Union said it had been a “disastrous budget” for family farms, that would “snatch away the next generation’s ability to carry on producing British food” and see farmers forced to sell land to pay the tax.

Schools and businesses across the UK have also been urged to wear wellies instead of shoes in support of the ‘Save Britain’s Family Farms’ campaign.

But Labour’s Environment Secretary Steve Reed responded to Clarkson’s presence at the protest with a message of his own.

He said: “The only ones that will be affected – it will be around 500 – will be the very wealthiest or the biggest farms.

“They can plan their tax affairs just like any other business plans their tax affairs as well.

“The vast majority of farms will not be affected by these changes to inheritance tax, but it’s only right that we ask the very wealthiest to pay their fair share, otherwise we can’t fix services like the National Health Service that farmers rely on and people living in rural communities, just like everybody else.”

Asked what his message to celebrity farmer Jeremy Clarkson was, Mr Reed said: “It’s very important that we listen to farmers, but I would say to farmers, this Government is backing farming in the UK.”

Over the weekend, protesters flocked to Llandudno in North Wales where Starmer was delivering a speech at the Welsh Labour conference. The Prime Minister stood his ground on the Budget, declaring he’d defend it “all day long” for taking “tough decisions that were necessary to stabilise our economy.”

Under the new rules, 462 farms would be affected by the 20% inheritance tax on any value above £1m (not on the whole value).

However, like for the rest of the population, 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, his or her spouse would be able to pass on another £1.325m tax free, taking the total untaxed amount to £2.65m.

There were 117 farms valued above £2.5m in 2021-22, according to the HMRC figures, external.

In addition, there is an £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 £3m.

But farmers and campaigners say the government’s figures are far too low. The Country Landowners Association estimates 70,000 farms could be affected, a figure reached by multiplying average arable land value by the average farm size that they conceded should be treated with caution.

The National Farmers’ Union points to figures from the Department for Environment, Farming and Rural Affairs, which show 49% of farms in England had a net value of more than £1.5m. On that basis almost 50,000 farm owners may need to consult an accountant.

The NFU’s central point is that the economics of farming mean levying inheritance tax could be ruinous for many. While farmers and agricultural landowners are asset rich, courtesy of their land, property and equipment, they are cash poor.

Average income in every category of cropping farms declined in 2023, with cereals revenue falling by 200% year-on-year, and average earnings across the board of less than £50,000.

For farms with meagre incomes facing hefty IHT bills and no tax planning, land sales may be the only option. That could be terminal for some family dynasties, but it would make IHT the final straw, rather than the root cause in an industry that, for far too many farmers, simply does not pay.

Somerset farmer Richard Payne told the BBC that he had already told his son to think of going into something other than farming, as the business would become “completely unviable” as a result of inheritance tax.

He added that the £1m limit would only cover the smallest farms and that the change could result in more land being bought up by bigger businesses, changing the future shape of UK farming.

“Right across the land there will be a sea-change for the worse. Everyone says they don’t like mega-farms and they don’t want factory farming, but I can see that will be one answer out of all of this,” he explained.

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