Hundreds of farmers on tractors have just stopped tooting their horns throughout SW1 as they finish protesting Labour’s farm tax betrayal. They have done the same thing in York. The farmers are threatening to take things further…
Veteran farmer David Catt summed up the threat in a speech:
“We can bring the country to a standstill in minutes. We could block all the ports, main roads and distribution centres. You have only got to see the kit that we have here today. The police, the army, no one could stop us. If we wanted to stop the country, we could do it… We don’t want to. All we are asking is [for] the Government to have a rethink.”
GB News has been interviewing farmers in their tractors throughout the afternoon, the majority of whom say the same thing. “We’re ready to strike…”
The NFU, meanwhile, has got a beating from protestors who ask: “If this were the miners our unions would be here – Where are you?” President Tom Bradshaw was actually breaking down in tears in front of the Environment Select Committee…
Downing Street is staying resolute and says it won’t rethink: “We have been clear that we understand the strength of feeling about the changes, but we are clear this will only affect a small number of estates.” No 10 and HMT are looking increasingly lonely in this – prominent pro-farm tax campaigner and Labour activist Dan Neidle has backed off it as it is currently written. Even the farm tax’s architect Arun Advani told MPs at committee today that the threshold at which the relief is removed should be moved. Typically the far-left academic said the 20% IHT rate applied too low because it is below the normal 40%…
Speaking at his speech on how to achieve “progressive capitalism” Wes Streeting fired a dig and Andy Burnham:
“Bond markets are not bond villains and fiscal rules matter.”