Bradley highlighted the plight of farmers across Bromsgrove and the Villages in a major rally against the Government’s Family Farm Tax plans.
Despite Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Environment Secretary Steve Reed previously promising to protect farmers, under Government proposals, more than 100,000 farms across the country will be hit by new inheritance tax laws, including 249 farms across Bromsgrove and the Villages.
They will be devastating for family farms and pose a serious risk to domestic food security and food prices.
Bradley stood shoulder-to-shoulder with farmers who gathered in Westminster today (November 19th) in opposition to the Government’s plans.
He’s warned that the Government’s political choice to target farmers is a cruel blow to the industry and will affect workers and consumers across the country.
Bradley said:
“The Government’s ideological decision to target farmers – despite promising not to do so – has the potential to wreck farmer’s lives and the whole industry.
“Not only have they underestimated and undervalued the farms affected by this harsh and devastating new tax, but the knock-on effects for the whole country could be disastrous.
“It is why I will stand beside our farmers from here in Bromsgrove and the Villages and those from across the country to show the Government they have made not only a bad decision, but the wrong decision.
“I will remain committed to helping local farmers fight this harsh new tax and gathering together will show Keir Starmer how poor his judgement is.”
Ahead of the protest, Bradley met with local farmers last week on a farm in his constituency to discuss the impact these new laws will have on their family farms.
One young farmer, Ollie, said:
“As a small, tenanted farmer in the area, we don’t actually own a lot of property. So, if my grandfather, who owns the business, passed away, we’d be left with a £400,000 tax bill. We don’t have £400,000 in the bank, so that just means we would have to sell the business.”
