Overview
- Lord David Blunkett and former prime minister David Cameron publicly attacked the family farm tax at a Countryside Alliance event on Monday, with Blunkett calling it “a mistake” and Cameron warning it would force families to sell land.
- The levy was introduced under then‑Chancellor Rachel Reeves as a 20% inheritance‑style charge on assets above £1 million and ministers later raised the threshold to £2.5 million after sustained protests.
- Visible campaigning has continued, including tractors in Westminster and a media push by rural groups that highlighted 27 Labour policies they say harm the countryside and cited polling showing weak rural support for the party.
- Campaigners are urging Prime Minister Andy Burnham to deliver a ‘rural reset’ to restore trust with farmers and rural communities, while the Treasury has said any tax changes will be announced by the Chancellor at formal fiscal events.
- The cross‑party alliance and ongoing protests increase the political risk to Labour in rural areas and leave open the prospect of further policy shifts ahead of the Chancellor’s next fiscal announcements.