Keir Starmer is under pressure on farming (Image: Getty)
Rural Labour MPs facing the loss of nearly 45,000 jobs from their constituencies have put Keir Starmer on notice of a fresh rebellion over his inheritance tax raid. The Prime Minister could see a fresh revolt by plotting backbenchers in countryside seats following the government’s U-turns on winter fuel payments, welfare and an inquiry into grooming gangs.
Sir Keir’s rural backbenchers are set to lose a total of 43,560 jobs and £2.8billion in economic productivity by the end of parliament because of the government’s changes to agricultural property relief (APR) and business property relief (BPR), an analysis of the CBI Economics report found.
Article continues below ADVERTISEMENT
Dementia Has Been Linked To a Common Habit. Do You Do It?Memory Health | Sponsored Sponsored
Learn More
Undo
DON'T MISS
Powered by
Desperate businesses plead with Keir Starmer to promise no more tax increases
3 Comments
Pension alert as savers ‘underestimate' one key thing
Comments
Rachel Reeves to unleash 'biblical' £20bn Budget tax blitz to fund Labour's 'clusterf***'
261 Comments
Rachel Reeves' pensions ‘game-changer' to leave savers 'only slightly' better off
4 Comments
Keir Starmer set to block fresh wealth tax raid despite pressure from Labour MPs
28 Comments
Chancellor Rachel Reeves refuses to rule out tax rises to address financial black hole
2 Comments
Currys boss' chilling warning to Reeves: 'think very carefully' before you make it 'worse'
43 Comments
Expert: Why on one island 'we see more people moving from Britain than anywhere else'
1 Comments
SAVE RACHEL REEVES! She's been a disaster but sack her now and Britain's finished
422 Comments
Rachel Reeves ISA change warning as savers ‘run out of money'
12 Comments
Pensioners with income above £35,000 'can still get DWP Winter Fuel Payment'
Comments
Cash ISA cuts warning as expert reveals 1 way to avoid Rachel Reeves' 'sly tax grab'
15 Comments
Martin Lewis breaks silence with scathing 4-word verdict on Cash ISA ‘mistake'
31 Comments
HMRC tax threshold nightmare over 'fiscal drag' as millions set to be squeezed
9 Comments
Dementia Has Been Linked To a Common Habit. Do You Do It?Memory Health | Sponsored Sponsored
Learn More
Undo
Rachel Reeves may target millions with punishing income tax hikes to plug £40bn hole
100 Comments
Rachel Reeves nightmare as she could be forced to make 'six' massive tax rises
9 Comments
Memory Slipping? Do This One “Elephan t Trick” Every Morning To Sharpen Rec...Memory Report Blog | Sponsored Sponsored
Undo
Neil Kinnock demands new 2% wealth tax to fund Keir Starmer's £5bn U-turn
201 Comments
Labour's first year in power sees economic growth promises turn into broken dreams
101 Comments
Dementia Has Been Linked To a Common Habit. Do You Do It?Memory Health | Sponsored Sponsored
Learn More
Undo
Cash ISA raid is only the start - see where Rachel Reeves will attack YOUR savings next
56 Comments
Rachel Reeves ‘could be forced into £40bn extra tax hikes' after benefits disaster
63 Comments
Memory Slipping? Do This One “Elephan t Trick” Every Morning To Sharpen Rec...Memory Report Blog | Sponsored Sponsored
Undo
Desperate businesses plead with Keir Starmer to promise no more tax increases
3 Comments
Pension alert as savers ‘underestimate' one key thing
Comments
Memory Slipping? Do This One “Elephan t Trick” Every Morning To Sharpen Rec...Memory Report Blog | Sponsored Sponsored
Undo
Rachel Reeves to unleash 'biblical' £20bn Budget tax blitz to fund Labour's 'clusterf***'
261 Comments
Rachel Reeves' pensions ‘game-changer' to leave savers 'only slightly' better off
4 Comments
Memory Slipping? Do This One “Elephan t Trick” Every Morning To Sharpen Rec...Memory Report Blog | Sponsored Sponsored
Undo
Keir Starmer set to block fresh wealth tax raid despite pressure from Labour MPs
28 Comments
Chancellor Rachel Reeves refuses to rule out tax rises to address financial black hole
2 Comments
Memory Slipping? Do This One “Elephan t Trick” Every Morning To Sharpen Rec...Memory Report Blog | Sponsored Sponsored
Undo
Currys boss' chilling warning to Reeves: 'think very carefully' before you make it 'worse'
43 Comments
Expert: Why on one island 'we see more people moving from Britain than anywhere else'
1 Comments
Dementia Has Been Linked To a Common Habit. Do You Do It?Memory Health | Sponsored Sponsored
Learn More
Undo
SAVE RACHEL REEVES! She's been a disaster but sack her now and Britain's finished
422 Comments
Rachel Reeves ISA change warning as savers ‘run out of money'
12 Comments
Memory Slipping? Do This One “Elephan t Trick” Every Morning To Sharpen Rec...Memory Report Blog | Sponsored Sponsored
Undo
Pensioners with income above £35,000 'can still get DWP Winter Fuel Payment'
Comments
Cash ISA cuts warning as expert reveals 1 way to avoid Rachel Reeves' 'sly tax grab'
15 Comments
Memory Slipping? Do This One “Elephan t Trick” Every Morning To Sharpen Rec...Memory Report Blog | Sponsored Sponsored
Undo
Martin Lewis breaks silence with scathing 4-word verdict on Cash ISA ‘mistake'
31 Comments
HMRC tax threshold nightmare over 'fiscal drag' as millions set to be squeezed
9 Comments
Rachel Reeves may target millions with punishing income tax hikes to plug £40bn hole
100 Comments
Rachel Reeves nightmare as she could be forced to make 'six' massive tax rises
9 Comments
Neil Kinnock demands new 2% wealth tax to fund Keir Starmer's £5bn U-turn
201 Comments
Labour's first year in power sees economic growth promises turn into broken dreams
101 Comments
Cash ISA raid is only the start - see where Rachel Reeves will attack YOUR savings next
56 Comments
Rachel Reeves ‘could be forced into £40bn extra tax hikes' after benefits disaster
63 Comments
Desperate businesses plead with Keir Starmer to promise no more tax increases
3 Comments
Pension alert as savers ‘underestimate' one key thing
Comments
Rachel Reeves to unleash 'biblical' £20bn Budget tax blitz to fund Labour's 'clusterf***'
261 Comments
Rachel Reeves' pensions ‘game-changer' to leave savers 'only slightly' better off
4 Comments
Keir Starmer set to block fresh wealth tax raid despite pressure from Labour MPs
28 Comments
Chancellor Rachel Reeves refuses to rule out tax rises to address financial black hole
2 Comments
Currys boss' chilling warning to Reeves: 'think very carefully' before you make it 'worse'
43 Comments
Labour peer and Countryside Alliance president Baroness Ann Mallalieu said: “As we creep closer towards the implementation of the family farm tax in April 2026, it is vital that all steps are taken to get the government to see just how damaging it will be for rural communities. Many farmers, particularly the elderly, who I speak to are facing huge uncertainty and suffering from a crippling anxiety. Labour worked so hard to rebuild its relationship with the countryside, but all this risks being demolished, should the IHT changes go forward as proposed.
Don't miss... UK farming on knife edge as hot weather threatens harvest [LATEST]
“It is vital the government listens to its rural Labour MPs who are pushing for a rethink, as well as the farming and rural sector who have only ever asked for an opportunity to be listened to, which they were not before the consequences of this ill thought out tax was announced”.
Powered By
00:00/00:19
10 Sec
890.9K
74
UK weather maps shows possible high temperatures
Next
Stay
Tory leader Kemi Badeonoch, speaking exclusively to the Express, said: “What is happening in rural constituencies is happening because Labour don't understand farming, they don't understand rural areas. They don't understand business.
Sponsored
Wolf & Shepherd | Sponsored Sponsored
Shop Now
The Business Sneaker Loved by CEOs and NFL Stars
Undo
“They think that there's a magic money tree, and you just go to business, shake it and pull the leaves off.
“And what's actually happening is that people are looking at these increased taxes, they're not investing, they're not hiring people, they're not creating jobs, and that's why we're seeing a huge rise in unemployment.
“Unemployment has risen every single year since late that's sorry. Unemployment has risen every single month since Labour came into office. That's a disgrace.”
Chancellor Rachel Reeves said that from April 2026, combined agricultural and business property assets up to £1 million will still receive 100% relief but anything above that will be taxed at an effective rate of 20%.
Don't miss... Rachel Reeves hits farmers with 'double whammy' after slashing budget [LATEST]
Trending
Asset rich farmers who are cash poor fear they will have to sell off their land - making it unviable for food production - to foot the tax bill.
The Daily Express has campaigned for the Government to U-turn on its inheritance tax raid through the Save Britain’s Family Farms crusade.
Despite not being a rural constituency, Keir Starmer’s Holborn and St Pancras is projected to lose 1,037 jobs and £124 million in economic productivity under Labour’s proposed reforms to Agricultural Property Relief (APR) and Business Property Relief (BPR), according to a new report.
The changes to BPR are expected to affect urban areas as well, placing thousands of small family-run businesses at risk across the UK. While rural businesses typically employ fewer people, family firms in urban centres tend to have larger workforces, making the potential job losses in cities especially significant.
The report also estimates that Rachel Reeves’s Leeds West constituency could see 341 jobs lost, while Angela Rayner’s Ashton-under-Lyne may lose 217. In Cambridge, the seat of Farming Minister Daniel Zeichner, as many as 667 jobs are at risk.
Nationwide, the proposed caps on inheritance tax reliefs for business and agricultural assets could result in up to 200,000 job losses and a £14 billion blow to the UK economy, the report found. Commissioned by Family Business UK and conducted by CBI Economics, the analysis assessed the potential impact across every parliamentary constituency.
The Country Land and Business Association then provided additional breakdowns, focusing specifically on the effect within Labour-held rural seats.
SUBSCRIBE Invalid email
We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you've consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. Read our Privacy Policy
Joe Evans, vice president of the Country Land and Business Association, said: “This report says what we’ve all been warning: this tax is pulling rural Britain backwards. Work is drying up. Investment is on hold. People are thinking twice before hiring, expanding, or staying open at all. Labour keeps talking about saving money, but this tax is costing us far more -
jobs, businesses, and a future for the next generation. If the government wants growth, it needs to stop punishing the people who grow the food, run the shops, restore our landscapes, and keep the countryside working."
Shadow Environment Secretary Victoria Atkins added: “Labour’s dodgy maths strikes again. Their vindictive taxes on the countryside are causing economic collapse and job losses. No wonder Labour’s rural MPs are finally building the courage to challenge their chaotic leadership to reverse the disastrous APR and BPR policies – the family farm and family firm taxes.
“It’s clear that these decisions were purely ideological. With no real impact assessment done, Starmer and Reeves should do the right thing, accept they were wrong and make this their next U-turn.”
More than 40 Labour MPs are said to be considering a bid to water down looming changes to inheritance tax.
Sir Keir’s recent reversals has left Labour rebels feeling emboldened that they can force the Government into further policy changes.
A “rural growth group” of Labour MPs has proposed the raising of the £1million cut-off point at which estates lose their tax reliefs.
They have suggested estates receive full tax relief on the value of agricultural properties up to £10million, 50% to £20million, and nil thereafter.
Sam Rushworth, Labour MP for Bishop Auckland, who is a member of the group,
said last week that they would “consider what amendments to put down”.
Speaking to the Telegraph, Mr Rushworth said: “We are all keen to avoid amendments. I don't want it to get to that point. I am a Labour MP and I broadly support the Government.
DON'T MISS
Powered by
Desperate businesses plead with Keir Starmer to promise no more tax increases
3 Comments
Pension alert as savers ‘underestimate' one key thing
Comments
Rachel Reeves to unleash 'biblical' £20bn Budget tax blitz to fund Labour's 'clusterf***'
261 Comments
Rachel Reeves' pensions ‘game-changer' to leave savers 'only slightly' better off
4 Comments
Keir Starmer set to block fresh wealth tax raid despite pressure from Labour MPs
28 Comments
Chancellor Rachel Reeves refuses to rule out tax rises to address financial black hole
2 Comments
Currys boss' chilling warning to Reeves: 'think very carefully' before you make it 'worse'
43 Comments
Expert: Why on one island 'we see more people moving from Britain than anywhere else'
1 Comments
SAVE RACHEL REEVES! She's been a disaster but sack her now and Britain's finished
422 Comments
Rachel Reeves ISA change warning as savers ‘run out of money'
12 Comments
Pensioners with income above £35,000 'can still get DWP Winter Fuel Payment'
Comments
Cash ISA cuts warning as expert reveals 1 way to avoid Rachel Reeves' 'sly tax grab'
15 Comments
Martin Lewis breaks silence with scathing 4-word verdict on Cash ISA ‘mistake'
31 Comments
HMRC tax threshold nightmare over 'fiscal drag' as millions set to be squeezed
9 Comments
Forgetfulness Over 50? Do This 10-Seco nd Elephant Trick To Stay Sharp Memory Report Blog | Sponsored Sponsored
Undo
Rachel Reeves may target millions with punishing income tax hikes to plug £40bn hole
100 Comments
Rachel Reeves nightmare as she could be forced to make 'six' massive tax rises
9 Comments
The Business Sneaker Loved by CEOs and NFL StarsWolf & Shepherd | Sponsored Sponsored
Shop Now
Undo
Neil Kinnock demands new 2% wealth tax to fund Keir Starmer's £5bn U-turn
201 Comments
Labour's first year in power sees economic growth promises turn into broken dreams
101 Comments
Memory Slipping? Do This One “Elephan t Trick” Every Morning To Sharpen Rec...Memory Report Blog | Sponsored Sponsored
Undo
Cash ISA raid is only the start - see where Rachel Reeves will attack YOUR savings next
56 Comments
Rachel Reeves ‘could be forced into £40bn extra tax hikes' after benefits disaster
63 Comments
Woman puts banana peel on her arm. You won't believe what happened next!Good to know this | Sponsored Sponsored
Undo
Desperate businesses plead with Keir Starmer to promise no more tax increases
3 Comments
Pension alert as savers ‘underestimate' one key thing
Comments
Memory Slipping? Do This One “Elephan t Trick” Every Morning To Sharpen Rec...thefitfoodspot | Sponsored Sponsored
Undo
Rachel Reeves to unleash 'biblical' £20bn Budget tax blitz to fund Labour's 'clusterf***'
261 Comments
Rachel Reeves' pensions ‘game-changer' to leave savers 'only slightly' better off
4 Comments
Memory Slipping? Do This One “Elephan t Trick” Every Morning To Sharpen...Health and Memory Today | Sponsored Sponsored
Undo
Keir Starmer set to block fresh wealth tax raid despite pressure from Labour MPs
28 Comments
Chancellor Rachel Reeves refuses to rule out tax rises to address financial black hole
2 Comments
Forgetfulness Over 50? Do This 10-Seco nd Elephant Trick To Stay Sharp! thefitfoodspot | Sponsored Sponsored
Undo
Currys boss' chilling warning to Reeves: 'think very carefully' before you make it 'worse'
43 Comments
Expert: Why on one island 'we see more people moving from Britain than anywhere else'
1 Comments
Dementia Has Been Linked To a Common Habit. Do You Do It?Memory Health | Sponsored Sponsored
Learn More
Undo
SAVE RACHEL REEVES! She's been a disaster but sack her now and Britain's finished
422 Comments
Rachel Reeves ISA change warning as savers ‘run out of money'
12 Comments
Medical Mystery Solved: Dementia and Memory Loss Has Been Linked To This...Memory Health | Sponsored Sponsored
Learn More
Undo
Pensioners with income above £35,000 'can still get DWP Winter Fuel Payment'
Comments
Cash ISA cuts warning as expert reveals 1 way to avoid Rachel Reeves' 'sly tax grab'
15 Comments
Memory Slipping? Do This One “Elephan t Trick” Every Morning To Sharpen Rec...Memory Report Blog | Sponsored Sponsored
Undo
Martin Lewis breaks silence with scathing 4-word verdict on Cash ISA ‘mistake'
31 Comments
HMRC tax threshold nightmare over 'fiscal drag' as millions set to be squeezed
9 Comments
Rachel Reeves may target millions with punishing income tax hikes to plug £40bn hole
100 Comments
Rachel Reeves nightmare as she could be forced to make 'six' massive tax rises
9 Comments
Neil Kinnock demands new 2% wealth tax to fund Keir Starmer's £5bn U-turn
201 Comments
Labour's first year in power sees economic growth promises turn into broken dreams
101 Comments
Cash ISA raid is only the start - see where Rachel Reeves will attack YOUR savings next
56 Comments
Rachel Reeves ‘could be forced into £40bn extra tax hikes' after benefits disaster
63 Comments
Desperate businesses plead with Keir Starmer to promise no more tax increases
3 Comments
Pension alert as savers ‘underestimate' one key thing
Comments
Rachel Reeves to unleash 'biblical' £20bn Budget tax blitz to fund Labour's 'clusterf***'
261 Comments
Rachel Reeves' pensions ‘game-changer' to leave savers 'only slightly' better off
4 Comments
Keir Starmer set to block fresh wealth tax raid despite pressure from Labour MPs
28 Comments
Chancellor Rachel Reeves refuses to rule out tax rises to address financial black hole
2 Comments
Currys boss' chilling warning to Reeves: 'think very carefully' before you make it 'worse'
43 Comments
Woman puts banana peel on her arm. You won...Good to know this
Undo
by Taboola by Taboola
Sponsored Links Sponsored Links
Promoted Links Promoted Links
Memory Slipping? Do This One “Elephant Trick”...thefitfoodspot
Undo
by Taboola by Taboola
Sponsored Links Sponsored Links
Promoted Links Promoted Links
Memory Slipping? Do This One “Elephant Trick”...Health and Memory Today
Undo
by Taboola by Taboola
Sponsored Links Sponsored Links
Promoted Links Promoted Links
Forgetfulness Over 50? Do This 10-Second...thefitfoodspot
Undo
by Taboola by Taboola
Sponsored Links Sponsored Links
Promoted Links Promoted Links
“I would like to see them bring forward different recommendations in the Bill.”
Get the latest politics news straight to your phone Join us on WhatsApp Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. Read our Privacy Policy
A government spokesman said: “Our reforms to Agricultural and Business Property Reliefs will mean three quarters of estates will continue to pay no inheritance tax at all, while the remaining quarter will pay half the inheritance tax that most estates pay, and payments can be spread over 10 years, interest-free. This is a fair and balanced approach which helps fix the public services we all rely on.
“Capping the rate of corporation tax, reforming planning, establishing a National Wealth Fund and creating pension megafunds is part of our Plan for Change to get Britain building, unlock investment and support business so we can raise living standards and make all parts of the country better off.”