During a tour of rural areas, former Health Secretary Wes Streeting admitted that Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s government has failed to understand the specific challenges facing rural England.
In a video posted online, Streeting, visiting Hexham in Northumberland as part of his rural campaign, stressed that “Labour let down farmers,” adding that “lots of them voted for us for the first time at the last election.”
“Where do you think the Government has got it wrong in its understanding of farming and rural communities? We’ve got a huge number of Labour MPs representing rural England, but we also need the Government to understand rural England,” Streeting said.
Nonetheless, Streeting did not mention the tax on family farms – a reform that, for the first time, obliged many farmers to pay inheritance tax. This law not only brought thousands of protesters onto the streets for fear of losing their way of life, but left some farmers facing serious consequences. Trade unions highlighted the severe humanitarian and psychological damage. Elderly farmers found themselves hostages to constant anxiety, whilst tragic cases where the pressure of debt and the fear of losing their family heritage led to suicides were openly discussed in the press and professional circles.
The reform, met with widespread outrage, was presented by Chancellor Rachel Reeves in the 2024 Autumn Budget. As a result, it abolished the 100% exemption from inheritance tax for agricultural land (Agricultural Property Relief), in place since 1992.
Underneath pressure from large-scale strikes, falling approval ratings and internal divisions within the party, the government made concessions. The Treasury softened the terms of the reform in December 2025, raising the tax-free limit for farm assets from £1 million to £2.5 million. Taking into account standard tax allowances for married couples, the tax-free limit for a family farm can now reach £5 million.
Although this decision has brought temporary relief to many owners, UK agricultural unions state that they will seek the complete abolition of inheritance tax for working farms, as the fundamental threat to the country’s food security and traditional way of life still remains.
Dave Stanners, a tenant farmer featured in the video, told the Ilford MP: “Maybe this Government hasn’t realised that it’s a lifestyle, it isn’t just a job.”
Streeting, who resigned due to disagreements with Starmer, launched an active campaign in May 2026 to restore the agricultural sector’s trust in Labour. However, the UK’s largest farming group, No Farmers, No Food, criticised the former minister, stating:
“While we welcome these words, you haven’t looked after farmers. You voted for the Labour Government’s inheritance tax on family farms, which has plunged thousands of generational farms into financial jeopardy.”
Opinion polls show a sharp decline in Labour’s standing among the rural population. Whilst in 2024, according to a Farmers Guardian survey, 28% of farmers intended to vote for the party (compared with 31% for the Conservatives and 14% for Reform UK), the situation has now changed dramatically. The latest polls show that support for Reform UK in this demographic has reached 40%, whilst 67% of those in the agricultural sector categorically reject the Labour Party and its potential leadership candidates, including Streeting.
He concluded by noting that we “need to make sure that we’re backing farmers,” whom he called “”amazing custodians of the land.”
