Thirty councils across the UK have openly rebelled against the government's farm inheritance tax changes, with Labour MPs under mounting pressure to distance themselves from the policy.
Local authorities have passed motions calling on the Chancellor Rachel Reeves to axe the 'family farm tax' which they say is an 'attack' on the countryside.
Several councils include those where Labour has newly elected MPs who are now facing rebellions from their town hall leaders, including Northumberland, Suffolk and Norfolk.
The areas represent millions of people and have been passed by councils in all four countries in the United Kingdom.
Rural campaigners at the Countryside Alliance are pushing for more to publicly distance themselves from the policy in the coming weeks.
Under the changes, which come into force from April 2026, farms worth more than £1m will be subject to a 20 percent levy, half the usual inheritance tax rate.
Rural groups argue that the £1m threshold will hit the majority of working family farms, asset-rich but cash-poor, instead of targeting wealthy landowners seeking to avoid inheritance tax.
Where motions have been debated and voted, tractor demonstrations have often taken place outside council offices.
This includes in Morpeth, the home of Northumberland County Hall, where councillors on Wednesday (15 January) voted overwhelmingly to reject the policy.
Similar scenes took place outside Beverley County Hall in East Yorkshire, where around 100 tractors descended on a meeting of councillors prior to a vote which saw them pass a motion declaring its opposition.
In Worcestershire, a fiery meeting between councillors saw one blast the policy as ‘evil’. Antrim Council in Northern Ireland, Powys in Wales and Dumfries and Galloway Council in Scotland have all also joined the rebellion.
Elsewhere, Kirklees, Worcestershire, Somerset, Braintree and West Sussex councils have also passed recent motions against the policy.
In all cases, Labour councillors have either voted against or to abstain from registering their opposition to the tax move, while the Green councillors have mainly abstained.
Mo Metcalf-Fisher, director of external affairs at the Countryside Alliance, said the government's policy was 'broken' and that it threatened food security.
He said: “We warned that the rebellion against this unnecessary, divisive and disruptive tax hike on farmers would grow in the new year and we are in talks with councillors from across the UK about more joining.
"Having councils, many in areas covered by Labour MPs, openly revolting against the Treasury is a bad look for Reeves and Starmer, both of whom seem unwilling to get experts around the table to find a way out of this mess.
"It is bizarre that Labour would pursue a long battle with the countryside, particularly when the general public are so overwhelmingly supportive of farmers and opposed to this policy."
A national day of action is planned to take place on Friday (17 January), where tractors will park up in by supermarket doors to talk directly with the public about the 'family farm tax' impact.
Supermarket giant Morrisons recently threw its support behind farmers protesting the farm tax changes.
The grocery chain's head of agriculture, Sophie Throup posted a video message on social media expressing solidarity with Britain's farming community.
