Farmer support for Labour collapses amid IHT fury, poll finds

Labour’s standing in the countryside has hit rock bottom, with a new poll showing no farmers would vote for the party if a general election were held tomorrow, as anger deepens over government plans to slash inheritance tax relief on family farms.

A survey of 490 farmers and landowners by the Country Land and Business Association (CLA) reveals that more than 80% fear their farms won’t survive the next decade, while more than 60% have considered selling up and quitting the industry altogether.

The collapse in rural support follows Treasury proposals to remove agricultural and business property relief from April 2026 – dubbed the “family farm tax” by campaigners – a move the government claims will have no “significant macroeconomic impacts”.

See also: Inheritance tax report a ‘wake-up call’, says NFU

But CLA president Victoria Vyvyan said the policy, which will impose a 20% tax on inherited farm businesses valued at £1m or more, would have a devastating impact on rural businesses and communities.

“The Treasury says these reforms will barely touch rural Britain,” Ms Vyvyan said. “Our polling shows they will force hard choices on farms that have sustained communities for generations –  selling land, laying off workers, shelving future plans. 

“Rural Labour MPs can see what’s coming. They know it will drain the life from the countryside and strip away the trust of the people who sent them to Westminster.

“If they support it, their voters won’t forget.”

The CLA polling puts Reform UK (36%) just behind the Conservatives (38%) in farmer support, with Labour attracting 0%.

Nearly 70% of respondents said they would have to sell land or take out loans to survive, and 48% predicted they would need to sell at least a quarter of their farm.

Almost 90% have delayed investment, with more than a quarter putting plans worth more than £150,000 on hold.

A separate Family Business UK report, backed by CBI Economics, warned earlier this year that the government’s IHT policy could cost more than 200,000 jobs, wipe £14.9bn off the economy, and lead to a £1.9bn net fiscal loss for the Treasury.

‘Trailer of Truth’ campaign

Meanwhile, farming campaign group Farmers to Action is launching a new national anti-government protest – the Trailer of Truth – a travelling convoy touring rural towns throughout September before a mass rally at Labour’s autumn party conference in Liverpool on 28 September.

FTA spokesman and Shropshire farmer Alan Hughes said: “The only sensible move is to abolish inheritance tax. This reform will push family farms out and invite corporations in. It’s the opposite of what rural Britain needs.”