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Farmers bring tractor protests back to London

Philip Case 31 October 2025
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Tractors line up on The Mall, Whitehall © Andy BowesTractors line up on The Mall, Whitehall © Andy Bowes

Farmers across the UK have staged protests today (31 October), including a large tractor convoy through central London, in a growing show of frustration over government policies, rising costs, and what they describe as “threats to the future of British farming”.

Some 16 tractors and farm vehicles drove past Big Ben in Westminster and other landmarks in Whitehall, displaying banners urging Sir Keir Starmer’s Labour government to abolish its inheritance tax plans and also calling for “fair prices for farmers and the public”.

See also: Farmer discontent grows over Labour’s firm IHT position

‘Just the start’

Andy Bowes, a farmer based in south Bedfordshire, was among those who took part in the London demonstration.

He told Farmers Weekly: “We just wanted to make the government aware that farmers have not gone away.” 

See Andy’s footage of the protests, taken on his phone.

Will Finn-Kelcey, an arable farmer based near Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, drove his tractor to Hemel Hempstead to meet Mr Bowes and other farmers.

“When we got to Hemel Hempstead, we made a spur of the moment decision to go on to London as it’s only 1.5 hours away,” he explained.

Mr Finn-Kelcey, 52, described the support from the public in London as “phenomenal”, adding that the Met Police “were fantastic too”.

Asked about his reasons for joining the protest, he said: “I have an elderly father and our business is going to be massively impacted by IHT.

“But this is broader now. British farmers need to more support to grow food for the nation, but we’re facing rising costs and an avalanche of cheap food imports.”

Tractor protest

Farmers assemble in Hemel Hempstead for the tractor protest © Andy Bowes

“We have been busy for harvest, but this is just the start of protests leading up to the Autumn Budget and beyond.”

Similar farmer demonstrations have also taken place elsewhere in England today, including in Cornwall and Oxfordshire.

See also: Farmers plan ‘Day of Unity’ inheritance tax tractor protests

The UK farmer protests, which were led by Farmers To Action in association with regional groups, mirror unrest seen across Europe today, with farmers in Germany and other countries voicing anger over government subsidy cuts, environmental regulations, rising costs of production and smaller margins while food inflation spirals.

Alan Hughes, a fourth-generation farmer from the Shropshire borders and vice-chairman of Farmers To Action, said:

“Food inflation is rocketing at a time when farmers are suffering under the proposed budgets, amid fears of looming inheritance tax and reduced profitability.

“The only people making profits from food are the supermarkets and large corporations, while farmers and the general public suffer the consequences.”

Defra’s 2023-24 report on return on capital investment stated that farmers earn an average return of -0.8% from agricultural business, highlighting that food production is becoming unsustainable in rural Britain.

Industry groups have warned that a growing number of UK family farms are struggling to survive.

“It’s simply not possible for farmers to pay inheritance tax when they cannot even make a profit,” added Mr Hughes.

Budget concerns

Farmers have vowed to increase their demonstrations in the run-up to the Autumn Budget on 26 November, amid growing fears of a further damaging announcement for agriculture by chancellor Rachel Reeves.

The UK government has repeatedly insisted its upcoming farm IHT policy – due to come into force on 1 April next year – is fair and will only affect 500 farms a year, a figure hotly disputed by farming organisations.

Defra insists it is supporting UK farming at record levels – £11.8bn over the lifetime of this Parliament – but farmers argue that, when 40-50% rising inflation is taken into account, this effectively amounts to budget cuts.

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