British farmers are furious with the Labour government after it introduced a controversial inheritance tax on farms, despite previously promising not to target them. Before coming to power, Prime Minister Keir Starmer assured farmers that their livelihoods would be protected, but his government’s recent policy has been seen as a direct betrayal.
As protests continue across the country, Conservative MP Geoffrey Cox delivered a fiery speech in Westminster Hall, calling out Starmer for what he described as “crocodile tears” during a recent National Farmers’ Union (NFU) conference. Cox accused the Prime Minister of pretending to sympathize with struggling farmers while imposing a tax that could force many to sell off their family land.
“The Prime Minister stood before hundreds of farmers, voice trembling with emotion, claiming to understand their pain—only to turn around and impose the very tax he swore he wouldn’t,” Cox said. “It is a cynical breach of trust, and farmers have every right to feel betrayed.”
He highlighted how this new tax will especially hurt elderly farmers, widows, and families who have cultivated their land for generations. “These farms are not just businesses; they are a way of life, the backbone of our rural communities,” he continued. “Yet, now they must fear losing everything because of a broken promise.”
Outside Parliament, farmers honked their horns in protest, making their voices heard. Cox urged the government to reverse course before causing irreversible damage to rural Britain.
