Farmers have been banned from bringing tractors to a Budget Day protest in Westminster against proposed changes to inheritance tax.
The Metropolitan Police announced on Tuesday evening that, following several discussions with the organisers of the protest, conditions have been implemented to prevent participants from bringing vehicles, including tractors and other agricultural machines, to the event on Wednesday.
The force justified this decision by citing the "serious disruption" these vehicles could potentially cause to local businesses, emergency services, and the public.
Police have stipulated that any individual participating in the farmers' protest must remain within a designated area in Richmond Terrace, Whitehall.
This comes as Chancellor Rachel Reeves is under pressure from farmers to abandon plans to impose inheritance tax on farming land and businesses.
The Chancellor's proposal to apply a 20% rate on agricultural land and businesses valued over £1m has become a contentious political issue for an industry grappling with escalating costs, challenging market conditions, and the increasing impacts of climate change.
On an event page created for the protest by a group named Berkshire Farmers, the organisers stated that farmers intended to drive to London to "demand fairness and a future for British farming", adding that the current inheritance tax system "threatens family farms and rural livelihoods".
Following the police announcement, an administrator of the Berkshire Farmer Facebook group stated that imposing the conditions with "this short of a notice" was a "malicious approach to preventing our right to protest, leaving little time for appeal or for facilitating their requests".
The post added: "Therefore, we, Berkshire Farmers Group and all associated organisers including but not limited to George Brown, Dan Willis and Caroline Graham, wish to inform all attendees that this protest has been cancelled by Dr Alison Heydari of the Metropolitan Police, and we absolve ourselves of all responsibilities for any attendance to this event."
Wednesday's planned demonstration represents the latest in a series of protests by farmers opposing the proposed changes.
Last December, thousands of demonstrators assembled along Whitehall whilst furious farmers drove their tractors outside Parliament, rallying against the proposals which agricultural workers claimed threatened their enterprises, livelihoods and food security.
