Keir Starmer quizzed over inheritance tax for farmers

       The BBC has been accused of bias after Sir Keir Starmer claimed the broadcaster backed him over the Government’s inheritance tax raid on farmers.

       Asked about the 10,000-strong protest in London yesterday during a press conference in Rio, where he is attended the G20 summit, Sir Keir insisted that “the vast majority” of farmers would be unaffected.

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       He added: "All of you can check out what that means in terms of the impact. I think the BBC has already done it,” he said.

       “It means the vast majority of farms are unaffected by this, and I think it’s just important we keep making that clear.”

       READ MORE: Kemi Badenoch warns Labour’s ‘cruel’ tax on farmers will destroy farming in UK

       Prime Minister Keir Starmer Interviewed In Downing Street (Image: Getty)

       10,000 rallied in London on Tuesday against the tax raid (Image: Getty)

       The BBC Verify unit reported earlier this month that, in 2021-22, just 462 inherited farms were worth more than ￡1 million – the new cap on agricultural property relief (APR) – out of the 209,000 farm holdings in the UK.

       The article also cited the claim that 70,000 farms will be affected but added that “it is not necessarily the right number to use”.

       In a video released on Tuesday, BBC Verify stated that “70,000 is almost certainly an overestimate”. It stated that the “true share of farms affected going forward is likely to be much closer to the Treasury estimates”.

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       Critics say the BBC has "fallen for Labour's false narrative" (Image: Getty)

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       Stuart Andrew, the shadow culture secretary and Conservative MP for Daventry, said: “The job of BBC Verify is to do exactly that, but they’ve failed on their own terms.

       “The Government is refusing to say how many family farms are subject to their tax raid, only offering partial and out of date statistics which fail to account for the full scale of their reforms.

       “The taxpayers pay for the BBC to be independent and free from bias, not for them to regurgitate Labour lines. This matter should be immediately looked into and corrected.”

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       Greg Smith, the Conservative MP for Mid Buckinghamshire and the shadow minister for transport, said: “This is absolute nonsense from BBC Verify, who have clearly fallen for Labour’s false narrative by including hobby farms and non-food producing smallholdings in the numbers.

       “The message I am getting from my farmers is clear as day. They own small, modest family farms and see this policy as the biggest threat they have ever encountered.”

       It comes as Jeremy Clarkson accused Derbyshire of forming her ideas in the same “sixth-form debating society” as the Chancellor.

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       Farmers 'stabbed in back' by Labour's 'cruel' tax raid to unleash fury at protest

       35 Comments

       Labour slumps to embarrassing by-election loss near Jeremy Clarkson's home amid tax row

       260 Comments

       Labour's farm tax blunder could cost them the next general election

       32 Comments

       Kemi Badenoch warns Labour's ‘cruel' tax on farmers will destroy farming in Britain

       284 Comments

       Jeremy Clarkson's health explored as he attends farmers' protest despite doctor's warning

       1 Comments

       POLL: Should Labour U-turn on farmer inheritance tax?

       213 Comments

       Farmers have 'nothing to lose' as contingency plans drawn up over food shortage fears

       141 Comments

       Kemi Badenoch vows to reverse Labour's tax raid on farmers - 'the message is clear!'

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       296 Comments

       Rachel Reeves 'refusing to engage' amid furious protests against Labour's family farm tax

       9 Comments

       Why are farmers protesting? The inheritance tax row threatening to bring UK to standstill

       29 Comments

       Labour's 'war on farmers' sparks protest over inheritance tax and food security risks

       52 Comments

       Keir Starmer claims 'first job was on a farm' as massive protest erupts

       47 Comments

       Labour minister squirms as she's grilled over Keir Starmer farmer snub: 'Nothing to say!'

       1158 Comments

       Farmers 'stabbed in back' by Labour's 'cruel' tax raid to unleash fury at protest

       35 Comments

       Labour slumps to embarrassing by-election loss near Jeremy Clarkson's home amid tax row

       260 Comments

       Labour's farm tax blunder could cost them the next general election

       32 Comments

       Kemi Badenoch warns Labour's ‘cruel' tax on farmers will destroy farming in Britain

       284 Comments

       Jeremy Clarkson's health explored as he attends farmers' protest despite doctor's warning

       1 Comments

       POLL: Should Labour U-turn on farmer inheritance tax?

       213 Comments

       Farmers have 'nothing to lose' as contingency plans drawn up over food shortage fears

       141 Comments

       Kemi Badenoch vows to reverse Labour's tax raid on farmers - 'the message is clear!'

       129 Comments

       Labour minister squirms in BBC clash as she's pressed over 'war with farmers'

       364 Comments

       Farmer protests LIVE: Huge tractor convoy masses as Keir Starmer faces huge backlash

       1294 Comments

       Hated farm tax plunges Labour into grave danger of electoral disaster in rural areas

       108 Comments

       Jeremy Clarkson faces fresh health setback as Former Top Gear star can 'barely move'

       4 Comments

       Winter and discontent arrive in UK as Labour's Budget threatens to send us back to 1970s

       21 Comments

       Police impose tractor ban on farmers planning mass protest over inheritance tax changes

       831 Comments

       Keir Starmer squirms as his farmer tax blunder is exposed live on-air

       296 Comments

       Rachel Reeves 'refusing to engage' amid furious protests against Labour's family farm tax

       9 Comments

       Why are farmers protesting? The inheritance tax row threatening to bring UK to standstill

       29 Comments

       Labour's 'war on farmers' sparks protest over inheritance tax and food security risks

       52 Comments

       Keir Starmer claims 'first job was on a farm' as massive protest erupts

       47 Comments

       Labour minister squirms as she's grilled over Keir Starmer farmer snub: 'Nothing to say!'

       1158 Comments

       Farmers 'stabbed in back' by Labour's 'cruel' tax raid to unleash fury at protest

       35 Comments

       Labour slumps to embarrassing by-election loss near Jeremy Clarkson's home amid tax row

       260 Comments

       Labour's farm tax blunder could cost them the next general election

       32 Comments

       Kemi Badenoch warns Labour's ‘cruel' tax on farmers will destroy farming in Britain

       284 Comments

       Jeremy Clarkson's health explored as he attends farmers' protest despite doctor's warning

       1 Comments

       POLL: Should Labour U-turn on farmer inheritance tax?

       213 Comments

       Farmers have 'nothing to lose' as contingency plans drawn up over food shortage fears

       141 Comments

       The journalist had opened the interview by asking Mr Clarkson why he was at the rally. When he replied that he was supporting farmers, she countered: “So it’s not about you, it’s not about your farm and the fact that you bought a farm to avoid inheritance tax?”

       Derbyshire was referring to a 2021 interview in which the star of Clarkson’s Farm said he had bought his 1,000-acre Diddly Squat farm in the Cotswolds mainly because there were no death duties on land.

       A BBC spokesman said: “We’ve covered different points of view on this story and given an impartial, factual analysis of the numbers involved.”