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Farmers Drive Tractors Into Central London on Budget Day Despite Police Ban

Despite a last‑minute police ban on tractors in Whitehall, convoys reached Westminster as the Budget was set to confirm a cap on farm inheritance relief.

Overview

  • The Metropolitan Police imposed conditions barring tractors and other agricultural vehicles from Whitehall and restricting the protest to Richmond Terrace, citing the risk of serious disruption.
  • Farmers defied the restrictions with convoys into Westminster, parking more than a dozen tractors near Parliament and causing gridlock around Trafalgar Square.
  • Police said several people were arrested after some protesters breached the conditions by bringing vehicles, following warnings that non‑compliance could lead to arrests under the Public Order Act.
  • Protesters targeted a policy introduced last year that grants full inheritance tax relief only on the first £1m of qualifying agricultural assets with a 20% charge above that threshold, which is expected to be confirmed in the Budget.
  • Organisers accused authorities of curbing their protest for political reasons, and Reform UK said it would fund legal support for farmers arrested at the demonstration.