A DELEGATION from the West Somerset branch of new political party Reform UK was in London this week to support a huge farming community protest.

Thousands of farmers from across the country blocked roads with tractors in Westminster as MPs were debating Government proposals to cut inheritance tax relief for family farms.

Reform’s Tiverton and Minehead constituency branch secretary Paul Chandler and his wife Rachel were there to show the party’s backing for the farmers.

Fred Keen, chairman of the branch, which also takes in parishes around Wellington, said the party wanted to stop the Government targeting local farming communities with its proposed changes to inheritance tax and its rewilding policies.

Mr Keen said such policies would undermine the ability of farmers to ‘feed our nation and give us food security in this very hostile world’.

Mr Chandler said: “Whitehall was chock-a-block with tractors.

“It was inspiring to join so many farmers of all ages protesting against the Government’s attacks on their future.

“Britain needs our farming communities.

“We must support family farmers and stand against the large-scale farming and highly-processed food that is ruining our health.”

The London protest event was one of the largest by the UK’s farming community for a number of years, with more than a thousand tractors driven into the centre of the city.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer wants to bring in 20 per cent inheritance tax on agricultural assets worth more than £1 million.

The Government has said the tax change was likely to only affect about 500 small farms, but the National Farmers’ Union (NFU) believed 75 per cent of commercial family farms would be impacted, meaning about 70,000 farms each generation.

NFU president Tom Bradshaw said British farmers were already living ‘on an absolute knife-edge’ with the lowest industry confidence ever recorded.