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"Labour Risks Becoming the 'Cruel Party' Over Tax Changes, Warns Farmer Baroness"


"Labour Risks Becoming the 'Cruel Party' Over Tax Changes, Warns Farmer Baroness"

Farmers and Conservative MPs gathered outside Parliament on Tuesday to protest Labour’s proposed inheritance tax changes, which some claim unfairly target rural communities.

Baroness Mallalieu, a Labour peer and president of the Countryside Alliance, joined the demonstrators, warning that the reforms could alienate countryside voters. “Labour is almost becoming the cruel party,” she said, expressing concerns about the Government’s approach.

Under the Budget announcement by Chancellor Rachel Reeves, land and property inherited worth over £1 million will face a 20% tax rate. While ministers argue the changes will only impact the wealthiest quarter of landowners, farming groups, including the National Farmers Union, warn the effects could ripple across the agricultural sector, potentially harming food production.

Baroness Mallalieu, speaking to The Telegraph, drew parallels to Labour’s controversial 2004 fox hunting ban, which alienated rural communities for years. “It took 14 years to regain the trust of the countryside after that attack on hunting,” she said. “Now, we risk making the same mistakes again.”

She added: “These reforms threaten more than farmers’ pockets. They threaten their families and homes.”

Mallalieu further claimed that farmers feel pressured to make life-altering decisions because of the reforms. “On the march, I heard of four farmer suicides already. It’s devastating that some elderly farmers feel compelled to consider dying before March 2026 to save their families from financial ruin.”

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer defended the policy during an interview with BBC Bristol on Friday, stating that the majority of farms would remain unaffected. “We’re for working people who’ve struggled, for those relying on the NHS, and for farmers and pensioners,” he said. “But these priorities must be funded responsibly.”



Labour's efforts to balance rural concerns with broader fiscal reforms remain under intense scrutiny, as critics argue the changes may further alienate a key voter base.

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