The President of the National Farmers' Union has blasted Chancellor Rachel Reeves for "lacking respect" for Britain's farmers, following Labour's inheritance tax raid.
Speaking to GB News outside the Union's conference in London, President Tom Bradshaw noted that although the union has engaged in a "frosty" meeting with Environment Secretary Steve Reed, Reeves is yet to sit down with them to discuss the policy.
Discussing the meeting with GB News reporter Katherine Forster, Bradshaw said: "It was a very frosty relationship in that meeting today, 700 members very angry about the way they've been treated and the fact that the Chancellor, Rachel Reeves, still won't meet to discuss this.
"If she's so confident in the policy, surely she has the respect for the farming industry to sit down with us, to discuss and to tell us why they are so right."
Tom Bradshaw tore into Rachel Reeves's 'lack of respect' as Labour's inheritance tax raid shows no sign of ceasing
GB News / PA
Taking aim at the policy, Bradshaw questioned if "anyone in Government believes they are right" about the raid, and claimed that Labour "needs to accept that it is completely unfair".
Bradshaw stated: "I don't know anybody that believes the Government are right on this policy now. I genuinely don't even believe the Government think they're right.
"The question I ask myself now is, does politics let them have a road out of this? Because it's brave to demonstrate that leadership, it would be the leadership that our industry needs to accept that the proposals they've made are completely unfair."
Noting the efforts of the NFU to reach a solution to the policy with the Government, Bradshaw told GB News that the Treasury have simply "slammed the door" in the face of the farming industry.
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Steve Reed was confronted by furious farmers during his speech at the NFU conference
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Bradshaw added: "The whole industry, all the farming unions, all the farming organisations presented a solution to the Treasury that would still raise the tax that they say is so important, but it would take all of the unintended consequences away. And the Treasury slammed the door.
"They were not interested. They were absolutely convinced they are right. They catch a sector of our community in the eye of this storm, and these people have no ability to plan their way through this."
Making the feelings of farmers clear on their efforts to find a solution to Reeves's policy, Bradshaw affirmed that the protests and angry farmers "will not go away".
Bradshaw declared: "The farming industry will not go away, we cannot go away, because of the impacts that this will have on those elderly people, but also on our ability to produce the country's food.
Bradshaw urged Labour to 'think again' about the inheritance tax policy imposed on farmers
GB News
"It feels like the world order is being turned upside down. Feeding 70 million people here on this island is the Government's responsibility. Yet today they seem to be taking it for granted."
In a direct message to Labour, Bradshaw urged: "These changes to inheritance tax restrict the investment for the future because farmers don't want to build their balance sheets. And so I urge the Government to think again, to recognise that they need to make amendments.
"Look at the solution we provided last week, and let's get on working together to produce this country's food at a time of such importance."
Defending the Government's decision, Reed told the NFU conference: "Even if the conversation gets difficult – I will always show up to have it, because I respect this union and I respect British farming.
"Now, I can’t give the answer I know many of you want on inheritance tax, but I want you to know that I understand the strength of feeling in the room and in the sector, and I am sorry it’s a decision that we’ve had to take."
