Labour has been accused of inflicting a "politics of envy" on British farmers as Rachel Reeves ploughs ahead with her plans to impose an "unjust" inheritance tax on family farms.
Dartford Tory councillor Carol Gale slammed Sir Keir Starmer's Government at the latest farmers' protest in the heart of Westminster.
"It all boils down to a politics of envy," Gale fumed, speaking to GB News as she marched down Whitehall in protest of the tax hike.
"They’ve decided that we have other rich people across the nation - like Jeremy Clarkson, for example - and they’ve thought, 'Oh, we can get money out of them'."
Farmers across Britain congregated to protest against Rachel Reeves' inheritance tax hike
PA
Last October, Rachel Reeves announced that she planned to impose a 20 per cent inheritance tax on family farms - setting rural communities aflame with fury.
However, the Government issued a response, insisting that only around 500 farms would be impacted by the levy.
A handful of farmers and unions have since cast significant doubt on the accuracy of such a figure.
Speaking to the People's Channel, farmer Tim, from Wiltshire, said: "Most don’t believe their figures. Even if they destroy one or a handful of farmers, it's not on. But it will be more than that."
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Cradling his grandson Theodore - who was bundled up in a fleece with "Farmer in Training" embroidered on the back - in one arm and holding a placard in the other - Tim warned that Starmer is "going after the elderly farmers who don’t have their affairs in order".
He compared the situation to the Prime Minister cutting pensioners' winter fuel allowances – another decision by Reeves that sparked outrage nationwide in the days following the Labour leader's arrival at No10.
He explained: "It's an ideological issue - [Labour] is targeting ownership. They're targeting not just agricultural property relief (APR) but also business property relief (BPR).
"They're targeting anyone who wants to have the freedom to do business and to be incentivised to do that. He's prohibiting that and not giving people the confidence to invest in the future."
Shadow minister Victoria Atkins spoke to GB News about Labour's family farm tax
GB NewsWorking family farms - even those who have been in the business for generations - "do not earn a fortune", Tim asserted, and will be "broken up" by a 20 per cent tax that they "cannot afford".
Such words echoed those of shadow environment secretary Victoria Atkins yesterday when she launched a scathing attack on Labour's "anti-rural ideological politics".
"Our rural communities have warned repeatedly that Labour's tax hike is stopping investment, inflicting an enormous emotional toll on farming families and will break family farms," she said.
She urged Labour to "stop playing anti-rural ideological politics" and put the national interest first.
Meanwhile, a Government spokesperson said: “Our commitment to farmers remains steadfast.
"This Government are investing £5 billion into farming, the largest budget for sustainable food production in our country’s history. We are going further with reforms to boost profits for farmers by backing British produce and reforming planning rules on farms to support food production.
"Our reform to Agricultural and Business Property Reliefs will mean three quarters of estates will continue to pay no inheritance tax at all, while the remaining quarter will pay half the inheritance tax that most people pay, and payments can be spread over 10 years, interest-free. This is a fair and balanced approach which helps fix the public services we all rely on."
GB News has approached the Labour Party for comment.
