Farmers banned from staging a ‘go-slow’ tractor protest on Budget Day outside Parliament by Met Police

Farmers banned from staging a ‘go-slow’ tractor protest on Budget Day outside Parliament by Met PoliceThe force said a decision had been taken because of ‘serious disruption’ to the local area

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Scotland Yard has banned farmers from bringing their tractors to a protest on Budget Day in Westminster against proposed inheritance tax changes.

The Metropolitan Police said it had had a number of conversations with the protest organisers and that while people will still be able to demonstrate, conditions have been put in place to prevent people bringing vehicles including tractors and agricultural vehicles.

In a statement, the force said the decision had been taken because of “serious disruption” the vehicles may cause to the local area, including businesses, emergency services and the public on Wednesday.

Any individual taking part in the farmers’ protest must remain in a specified area in Richmond Terrace.

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It comes as Chancellor Rachel Reeves is facing pressure from farm owners to axe plans to introduce inheritance tax on land and businesses.

Farmers and their tractors during an earlier protest in WestminsterPA Wire

The Chancellor’s plans to introduce a 20 per cent rate on assets worth more than £1 million have become a political flashpoint for a sector struggling with rising costs, tough market conditions and worsening climate impacts.

In an event page set up for the protest by a group called Berkshire Farmers, organisers wrote that farmers were planning to drive to London to “demand fairness and a future for British farming”, adding that the current inheritance tax system “threatens family farms and rural livelihoods”.

Jeremy Clarkson speaks with the media in central London at previous farmers protest Aaron Chown/PA Wire

Following the police announcement, an administrator of the Berkshire Farmer Facebook group wrote that imposing the conditions with “this short of a notice” was a “malicious approach to preventing our right to protest, leaving little time for appeal or for facilitating their requests”.

The post added: “Therefore, we, Berkshire Farmers Group and all associated organisers including but not limited to George Brown, Dan Willis and Caroline Graham, wish to inform all attendees that this protest has been cancelled by Dr Alison Heydari of the Metropolitan Police, and we absolve ourselves of all responsibilities for any attendance to this event.”

Wednesday’s planned protest is the latest in a string of demonstrations by farmers against the proposed changes.

Last December, thousands of protesters gathered along Whitehall and angry farmers drove their tractors outside Parliament, demonstrating against the plans which farmers said put their businesses, futures and food security at risk.