New ‘Tractor tax’ blow to Starmer as Labour expert calls for government U-turn

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Get our free View from Westminster email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy The “tractor tax” row has taken a dramatic new turn after a pro-Labour tax expert used by Sir Keir Starmer to support the move called on him to reverse his decision. National Farmers’ Union president Tom Bradshaw told The Independent: “Having seen one of the staunchest advocates for her tax change his mind, it would be nice to think the chancellor and those who came up with this mess will look again.” Mr Bradshaw praised Mr Neidle for his “willingness to look again at the impacts of this tax”. He added: “Having done so, he saw that the policy is badly thought out, cripples family farms not tax avoiders, and will have a devastating impact.” Influential Mr Neidle was dragged into the fiasco last month when he backed the government in a dispute over how many farmers would be hit by the new tax, due to take effect in 2026. open image in gallery Tractors lined up outside the Houses of Parliament in Westminster for Wednesday’s protest In an article for the BBC, Mr Neidle said Ms Reeves’s claim that few farmers would be affected was “likely” to be true. While the policy had been developed to stop wealthy people like entrepreneur Sir James Dyson from using the loophole to avoid inheritance tax, David Sturrock of the IFS accepted it is “very likely that this change will affect family farms on any reasonable definition”.