Farmers protest outside of Welsh Labour conference location
Farmers in North Wales are taking their tractors in Llandudno today to protest against the Government’s recent inheritance tax changes, timing their demonstration to coincide with the Welsh Labour Conference.
The policy, announced in last month’s Budget, has been met with widespread anger among the farming community, who fear it will jeopardise the future of multi-generational family businesses.
Sir Keir Starmer, speaking ahead of the protest, defended the changes, insisting they were fair and would not impact the majority of farming families. His speech to conference today, during which he touted what he called a "modern industrial strategy", made little mention of farming.
Meanwhile, the backlash has continued to grow, with today’s demonstration reflecting broader unrest among rural communities. Farmers sounded their horns loudly outside the venue as the PM, who has now left the venue without talking to them, was speaking.
The row centres on the introduction of a ￡1 million threshold for inheritance tax relief on agricultural and business property, a significant reduction from the previous 100% relief for all qualifying assets. Farmers will now face a 20% tax rate on property valued above ￡1 million, instead of the standard 40% rate applied to other types of land and property.
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KEY EVENTS Separate protest also planned outside Downing Street09:18 Welcome to our live blog08:46
2 days ago14:28 Ciaran McGrath
Protesters leave Llandudno town centre
Protesting farmers have now left Llandudno town centre after their demonstration this morning.
Attention will now turn to Tuesday's scheduled demonstration in London, details of which were shared by among others the Countryside Alliance, along with a petition.
\ud83d\udce3 We will stand with farmers on Tuesday 19th November in Westminster to protest the family farm tax!#WeJustWantToFeedYou
\ud83e\udea7Please sign up using this link so organisers can keep track of numbers and provide updates accordingly\u27a1\ufe0f https://t.co/qTAXjHcsz4 pic.twitter.com/vsGoTN8Hc7
\u2014 Countryside Alliance (@CAupdates) November 12, 2024
3 days ago13:50 Ciaran McGrath
Large crowds remain outside the venue
Large crowds are still outside the venue in Llandudno.
#Welshlabour Conference attracting a lot of noise in Llandudno today. pic.twitter.com/jKVmlfEQrA
\u2014 Nigel Roberts (@TheNigelroberts) November 16, 2024
3 days ago12:56 Ciaran McGrath
Farmer blasts 'rat' Keir Starmer and says he's 'not man enough' to face protestors
Angry farmer Gareth Wyn Jones has torn strips off Sir Keir Starmer, blasting the PM for 'not being man enough' to face rural workers over Labour's plans for bombshell new taxes.
Speaking to Sky News today (Saturday) Gareth Wyn Jones: "He should've been man enough to come out and talk to the people... he should listen to the people.
"It's so frustrating he's ran out the back door like a flipping rat. People have come to talk to him. He didn't even have the guts to come here and address them."
Mr Wyn Jone's words come as farmers protested against inheritance tax changes outside the Welsh Labour conference where Sir Keir had been speaking saying he would defend Labour's Budget "all day long".
3 days ago12:53 Ciaran McGrath
'An appalling betrayal', says Welsh Tory Senadd leader
Andrew RT Davies, Tory leader in the Welsh Senadd, posted on X: "While Welsh farmers descend on Llandudno to protest Labour’s conference, Welsh Conservatives are out across Wales spreading the message.
"Labour lied to Welsh farmers. They lied to Welsh workers. And they lied to Welsh pensioners. An appalling betrayal."
While Welsh farmers descend on Llandudno to protest Labour\u2019s conference, Welsh Conservatives are out across Wales spreading the message.
Labour lied to Welsh farmers. They lied to Welsh workers. And they lied to Welsh pensioners.
An appalling betrayal. pic.twitter.com/1A1OxFpHR3
\u2014 Andrew RT Davies (@AndrewRTDavies) November 16, 2024
3 days ago12:30 Ciaran McGrath
Wales 'brimming with potential', says Starmer
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer took to X after his speech to proclaim that Wales was "brimming with potential' - although he made no reference to concerns over inheritance tax changes.
The Labour leader, who shared a picture of an industrial landscape, posted: "In partnership with the Welsh government, we are providing more investment to Welsh industries, creating new jobs and boosting opportunity.
"That’s the change two Labour governments working together can deliver."
Wales is brimming with potential.
In partnership with the Welsh government, we are providing more investment to Welsh industries, creating new jobs and boosting opportunity.
That\u2019s the change two Labour governments working together can deliver. https://t.co/tzQPojklZR
\u2014 Keir Starmer (@Keir_Starmer) November 16, 2024
3 days ago12:08 Ciaran McGrath
Starmer leaves without meeting farmers
Sir Keir Starmer has now left the venue without meeting protesting farmers, WalesOnline reporter Rob Harris has said.
Posting on X, he explained: "Keir Starmer did not reference farmers in his speech and has left the conference venue in north Wales without going outside to address them.
"Some farming representatives have come in to meet with deputy First Minister, Huw Irranca-Davies."
Keir Starmer did not reference farmers in his speech and has left the conference venue in north Wales without going outside to address them. Some farming representatives have come in to meet with deputy First Minister, Huw Irranca-Davies. https://t.co/KeMiE1gfLY
\u2014 Rob Harries (@robharries83) November 16, 2024
3 days ago11:27 Ciaran McGrath
'Farming puts food on the table'
Speaking outside the venue in a clip shared via X, Rachel Evans of the Countryside Alliance said: "Farming puts food on the table, they create the landscape that we enjoy, and they fully deserve the support of the Government of Cardiff Bay and Westminster."
Ironically, Ms Evans said she had earlier attended an event at the conference on Green Energy, which she described as having been "very good".
Strong turn out in Llandudno pic.twitter.com/DetGMysF6l
\u2014 Rachel Evans - Countryside Alliance Wales (@CAevs) November 16, 2024
3 days ago11:25 Ciaran McGrath
Labour minister squirms in BBC clash as she's pressed over 'war with farmers’
Secretary of State for Wales Jo Stevens was put on the spot during a combative BBC interview in which she insisted her party was “not at war” with the nation’s farmers.
Ms Stevens was speaking on the sidelines of the Welsh Labour Conference, addressed by party leader Sir Keir Starmer today.
Farmers are angry at measures announced in Rachel Reeves’s Budget, specifically the introduction of a ￡1 million threshold for inheritance tax relief on agricultural and business property, a significant reduction from the previous 100% relief for all qualifying assets.
Farmers will now face a 20% tax rate on property valued above ￡1 million, instead of the standard 40% rate applied to other types of land and property.
The rule changes have triggered anger among farmers who descended en masse to the venue today.
3 days ago11:04 Ciaran McGrath
Welsh Tories troll First Minister
Welsh Conseratives have trolled First Minister Eluned Morgan after she shared a picture of her apparently behind a DJ stand at Labour's Welsh Conference.
A X post shared by Andrew RT Davies, Tory Group Leader in the Senadd, said: "Song choices include: 'Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word' by Elton John; 'Broken Promises' by Element Eighty; 'Should I Stay or Should I Go" by The Clash."
Song choices include\ud83d\udc47
"Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word" by Elton John.
"Broken Promises" by Element Eighty.
"Should I Stay or Should I Go" by The Clash. \ud83c\udfb6\ud83c\udfa4\ud83c\udfa7 https://t.co/NIoGdea9Ys
\u2014 Welsh Conservatives \ud83c\udff4\udb40\udc67\udb40\udc62\udb40\udc77\udb40\udc6c\udb40\udc73\udb40\udc7f (@WelshConserv) November 16, 2024
3 days ago10:41 Ciaran McGrath
Starmer's speech focuses on the future of industry
Touting a modern industrial strategy, Sir Keir said there was "a golden opportinity for a Labour government to work in partnership with a Labour Government in Wales."
He made little mention of farming during the course of his speech although he did mount a bullish defence of his party's economic policy, saying: The Prime Minister said he would defend Labour's Budget "all day long" as he addressed the Welsh Labour conference.
"Make no mistake, I will defend our decisions in the Budget all day long. I will defend facing up to the harsh light of fiscal reality.
"I will defend the tough decisions that would necessary to stabilise our economy and I will defend protecting the pay slips of working people, fixing the foundations of our economy and investing in the future of Britain and the future of Wales, finally turning the page on austerity once and for all."
Working people know there are "no shortcuts", the Prime Minister said as he hailed the "record figure" of ￡21 billion allocated for Wales next year in the Budget.
Tractors outside the venue sounded their horns loudly as Sir Ker was speaking.
3 days ago10:36 Ciaran McGrath
'The full force of our nation once again serving the people of Wales'
Wales has "carried the torch" for the Labour Party while Conservatives were in power in Westminster, Sir Keir Starmer has said in his first speech to the Welsh Labour conference as Prime Minister.
"For 14 years, this nation here has carried the torch for the entire Labour Party.
"The only great nation on our islands where we could show as a movement the change that we can deliver for working people," he said.
Sir Keir lauded Welsh Labour members for their work leading to the July general election that showed "this changed Labour Party is fit to govern, not just in Wales but across the whole of Britain, that we are ready for a new era.
"Labour Wales and Labour Britain pulling in the same direction, the full force of our nation once again serving the people of Wales."
3 days ago10:34 Ciaran McGrath
Starmer hails 'path of change'
Sir Keir Starmer hailed a "path of change" with Labour governments in Wales and Westminster as he gave his first address to the Welsh Labour conference as Prime Minister.
The Prime Minister also confirm that a ￡160 million investment zone in Wrexham and Flintshire will be going live in 2025 in what he will call another essential step towards the change Wales voted for in July.
Labour won 27 out of 32 Parliamentary seats in Wales in the general election, wiping out the Conservatives, who now have no MPs in Wales.
3 days ago10:27 Ciaran McGrath
Large crowds outside the venue
Large crowds were been showed outside the venue in Llandudno as Sir Keir Starmer began making his speech.
Large crowds of protestors outside the venue (Image: Enough is Enough)
Farmers make their way to Llandudno in protest against Labour
3 days ago10:21 Ciaran McGrath
Sir Keir Starmer addresses the conference
Sir Keir Starmer is speaking to the Welsh Labour Conference in Llandundo.
The Prime Minister insisted: "A new era of change has begun in Wales."
WATCH LIVE: Keir Starmer at Welsh Labour Conference 2024 | Keir Starmer yng Nghynhadledd Llafur Cymru 2024 https://t.co/tKUpQxmFGo
\u2014 Welsh Labour (@WelshLabour) November 16, 2024
3 days ago10:05 Ciaran McGrath
'This will push up the price of food'
Mr Wyn Jones said inheritance tax change will result in farmers increasing the price of food: "The poorer people in society aren't going to be able to afford good, healthy, nutritious British food, so we have to push this to Government for them to understand that enough is enough, the farmers can't take any more of what they're throwing at us."
He also disputed the Government's estimation that only 500 farming estates in the UK will be affected by the inheritance tax changes.
"Look, a lot of farmers in this country are in their 70s and 80s, they haven't handed their farms down because that's the way it's always been, they've always known there was never going to be inheritance tax."
Farmers stage a protest in front of Venue Cymru in Llandudno (Image: Getty Images)
3 days ago10:04 Ciaran McGrath
'Don't bite the hand that feeds you'
Gareth Wyn Jones, a Welsh farmer and YouTuber, who is protesting outside the Welsh Labour conference in North Wales, said the Government was "destroying" an industry that was already struggling.
He said farmers will deliver Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer a letter which starts "'don't bite the hand that feed you".
Mr Wyn Jones told Sky News: "They're destroying an industry that's already on its knees and struggling, absolutely struggling, mentally, emotionally and physically.
"We need Government support not more hinderance so we can produce food to feed the nation."
3 days ago10:02 Ciaran McGrath
'Start planning,' Welsh Secretary tells farmers
Welsh Secretary Jo Stevens said farmers need to start succession planning to avoid inheritance tax.
She told Sky News: "If you do succession planning for your business you can get to a situation where you don't have any inheritance tax applying to your estate."
Ms Stevens also said it is unlikely farmers in Wales will be affected by the change in inheritance tax policy for farms.
She said: "The data that we have from the Treasury is that only 500 farming estates across the whole of the UK, we think, will be affected by the changes.
"And the nature of farming in Wales is such that there are lots of much smaller farms ... so we don't have those very big, wealthy farm owners like you see in some parts of the United Kingdom, they aren't in Wales."
Welsh Secretary Jo Stevens and Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer yesterday (Image: POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
3 days ago09:39 Ciaran McGrath
Contrasting protests in Llandudno
Pro-Palestine protestors are also staging a demonstration outside the Llandudno venue today.
Posting on Twitter, Chamber UK shared a clip of both, with one tractor calling for an end to “genocide” on farmers.
They commented: "Farmers converging with Gaza protestors outside #WelshLab24 - each seem to have a different definition of ‘genocide’."
Farmers converging with Gaza protestors outside #WelshLab24 - each seem to have a different definition of \u2018genocide\u2019. pic.twitter.com/iJ1f7TmGfJ
\u2014 Chamber UK (@ChamberVoice) November 16, 2024
3 days ago09:30 Ciaran McGrath
Call for slurry tankers triggers Labour alarm
One post in particular yesterday is likely to have triggered alarm in Labour circles.
Posting on X yesterday, organisers Enough is Enough posted: “If you can turn up with an agricultural vehicle, e.g. tractors/slurry tankers/lorries/4x4 and trailers please do so.”
The call for slurry tankers further raises the possibility of a French-style dirty protest, with manure being spread on the streets or sprayed at buildings - although the organisers are understood to be working closely with the police to ensure they stay within the law.
The sign on the front of this car indicates the level of anger among farmers (Image: WalesOnline)
3 days ago09:25 Ciaran McGrath
Farmers question methodology behind the decision
The inheritance tax reforms have also drawn criticism for the lack of clarity surrounding the figures on which the policy was based.
While Treasury data indicates that most farms will be unaffected, farmers have questioned the methodology, pointing to the higher valuation data provided by Defra.
For many in the farming community, the protest in Llandudno represents a fight to safeguard their livelihoods and protect future generations from being burdened by unsustainable tax bills.
As pressure mounts, the Government faces growing calls to revisit its approach and ensure the policy reflects the unique challenges faced by the agricultural sector.
3 days ago09:20 Ciaran McGrath
Elunad Morgan tweet irks farmers
A post by Welsh First Minister Eluned Morgan showing herself letting her hair down at the Welsh Labour conference has irritated farmers.
Ms Morgan shared a photograph of her apparently DJing at an event, commenting: "Conference is a chance for our Welsh Labour family to get together and celebrate all that we love about Wales. And we are the land of song after all."
However, one of the organisers of today's Enough is Enough protest told Express.co.uk: "First Minister partying while farmers worry about their futures."
Ms Morgan previously raised eyebrows after suggesting farmers needed to "calm down" when it came to the issue.
Conference is a chance for our Welsh Labour family to get together and celebrate all that we love about Wales.
And we are the land of song after all. pic.twitter.com/oOhb98MCTj
\u2014 Eluned Morgan (@Eluned_Morgan) November 16, 2024
3 days ago09:18 Ciaran McGrath
Separate protest also planned outside Downing Street
Despite Sir Keir's assurances, the changes have sparked outrage among farmers, many of whom argue that the reforms fail to reflect the realities of farming life, where land values are high but liquidity is often limited.
Today’s protest is part of a wider campaign led by the National Farmers’ Union (NFU), which has organised a mass lobby of MPs on Tuesday.
A separate rally is also planned for the same day outside Downing Street, where farmers will urge the Government to reconsider the policy.
NFU representatives have warned that the changes could lead to the break-up of family farms, undermining their ability to invest in the future and threatening the sustainability of rural economies.
3 days ago09:03 Ciaran McGrath
Starmer tries to downplay concerns
Treasury data suggests that 75% of farms will remain exempt from inheritance tax, thanks to the ability of couples to combine their exemptions to shield up to ￡3 million.
However, many in the agricultural sector dispute these figures.
According to data from Defra, around 66% of farm businesses exceed the ￡1 million threshold, meaning the majority of farms could face significant tax bills under the new rules.
Speaking during a visit to North Wales yesterday, Starmer sought to reassure farmers, arguing that most would not be affected.
He said: “I know some farmers are anxious about the inheritance tax rules that we brought in two weeks ago.
“What I would say about that is, once you add the ￡1 million for the farmland to the ￡1 million that is exempt for your spouse, for most couples with a farm wanting to hand on to their children, it’s ￡3 million before anybody pays a penny in inheritance tax.
"And that is why the vast majority of farms are going to be totally unaffected by this. And it’s really important we get that through.”
Sir Keir acknowledged the anxiety surrounding the policy but insisted: “We just need to keep explaining how that works, because I know it’s caused some anxiety.”
Sir Keir Starmer has tried to downplay the concerns (Image: GETTY/Enough is Enough)
3 days ago08:59 Ciaran McGrath
Large convey of tractors in North Wales
A large convey of tractors in on its way in North Wales as farmers make their frustration plain with respect to Labour's planned changes to inheritance tax rules.
A video clip has shown the slow-moving vehicles, one bearing a sign reading: "Digon Yw Digon", which means Enough is Enough in Welsh.
A huge convey of tractors (Image: John Myers)
Farmers rally and protest against Labour policies in Llandudno
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3 days ago08:46 Ciaran McGrath
Welcome to our live blog
We'll be bringing you regular updates as farmers in North Wales are taking their tractors in Llandudno today to protest against the Government’s recent inheritance tax changes, timing their demonstration to coincide with the Welsh Labour Conference.
The policy, announced in last month’s Budget, has been met with widespread anger among the farming community, who fear it will jeopardise the future of multi-generational family businesses.
Sir Keir Starmer, speaking ahead of the protest, defended the changes, insisting they were fair and would not impact the majority of farming families.
However, the backlash has continued to grow, with today’s demonstration reflecting broader unrest among rural communities.