Farmers Drive Tractors Through London To Protest Inheritance Tax

Farmers in the U.K. took their tractors to the streets of London on Monday to protest upcoming changes to the country’s inheritance tax.

Photos show a parade of farm machinery rolling through London’s Parliament Square on Monday as supporters lined the streets with signs showing messages of support.

The new inheritance tax, set to take effect in April 2026, would tax inherited agricultural assets valued at more than 1 million British pounds ($1.2 million) at 20%, half the usual rate for inheritance tax.

Farmers, however, say that many of the country’s generational family farms are cash poor, without sufficient earnings to pay the tax, despite the assessed value of the farms themselves.

The tractor rally was organized by Save British Farming, and comes as lawmakers debate a petition with nearly 150,000 signatures calling to maintain the current inheritance tax exemption for family farms.

Simon Broad, who helped organize the protest, told the BBC that the tax could damage the U.K.’s food security, making the country more reliant on imports.

“I think we should be very mindful of recent world events and political unrest,” he told the outlet. “We need to make sure that we’re in control of our own food supply.”

Paul Vicary told the BBC he fears for the future of his family farm.

“The cash flow in most family farms is just not great enough to actually pay those taxes,” he said. “To pay inheritance tax we’d have to cut our farm in half, then [with] what’s left you wouldn’t make a living off of a few pony paddocks that’s left. So the food security for the country from loyal generational farmers would be gone.”