Farmers are planning to target local MPs in the new year as protests against inheritance tax changes intensify, a farming campaigner has warned.
Speaking on GB News, Kelly Seaton said farmers would ramp up their actions after Christmas, focusing on MPs who have supported the controversial tax reforms.
The warning comes amid growing anger from the farming community over Labour’s plans to restrict inheritance tax relief on agricultural assets worth more than £1m from April 2026.
Seaton indicated that while protests would increase, they aimed to avoid disrupting the general public.
Seaton spoke on GB News
PA / GB NEWS
From 6 April 2026, the full 100 per cent relief from inheritance tax will be restricted to the first £1m of combined agricultural and business property.
Landowners above this threshold would pay inheritance tax at a rate of 20 per cent, rather than the standard inheritance tax rate of 40 per cent.
Farmers took to the streets of London to protest against the changes earlier this month
PA
The government has said the change is expected to affect about 2,000 estates each year and its commitment to farmers “remains steadfast”.
However, there have been different claims about the impact, with estimates ranging from as many as 70,000 farms overall to as few as 500 per year being affected.
Recent HMRC figures show inheritance tax receipts reached £5.7billion in the eight months to November, up £600million from last year.
Farmers have already begun demonstrating against the tax changes, with hundreds driving tractors through Aberdeen in recent days.
The protestors travelled from Thainstone Mart to Aberdeen beach to highlight what they say will be devastating impacts on the rural sector.
Duncan Wight, a third-generation farmer from Drumoak, described the changes as “soul destroying” and said they could “ruin lives”.
In Cambridgeshire, farmer Tom Martin warned the tax changes could be “pretty terminal” for his family’s farm of four generations.
Martin said rather than focusing on food production and environmental work, the tax now dominated most conversations.
“We’ll see it ramping up. We’re hoping to have a nice Christmas and not think too much about it but going forward, we will see it ramping up,” Seaton told GB News.
She warned: “I believe we will see more targeted action taken towards more local MPs who have been seen to support the inheritance tax implications.”
Seaton emphasised that while protests would increase, farmers intended to minimise disruption to the public.
“I imagine we will see a lot more action but hopefully no disruption for the general public,” she said.
The warnings come as Sir Keir Starmer has insisted there will be no U-turn on the farmers’ inheritance tax changes.