Inheritance tax changes: ‘The tragic human cost of Budget decisions’
The risk of farmers taking their own lives will only increase ahead of controversial inheritance tax changes, it has been warned at Westminster.
The Government was accused in Parliament of refusing to take responsibility for the “tragic human cost” of its budget decisions, in the absence of detailed, timely data on suicides in the industry.
The criticism follows the tragic death of a farmer who killed himself the day before the Budget, after weeks of worrying about inheritance tax.
John Charlesworth’s son recently told an inquest he believed his father wanted to “beat” the Government’s proposals and “save the farm for future generations”.
From April 2026, a 20 per cent inheritance tax rate will be levied on agricultural assets worth more than £1m, which were previously exempt.
This is half the usual rate of 40 per cent. Tory Shadow Business Minister Lord Sharpe of Epsom called it “a disastrous policy”.
He said: “I must also highlight the case of a farmer who took his own life just before the Government’s budget, which is a heartbreaking example of the immense pressures our rural communities face.
“These pressures are exacerbated by the looming inheritance tax changes that threaten the very future of family farms.”
The Conservative frontbencher added: “Despite the seriousness of this issue, the official statistics on farmer, landowner and family business owner suicides are woefully inadequate.
“There is a significant delay, often of years, before accurate data is published. This delay means we will not see reliable figures for suicides in 2026 until 2028 or later, and that is simply unacceptable.
“Without timely, detailed data, broken down by occupation, policymakers cannot fully understand the human cost of these policies.
“Would the Minister acknowledge the urgent need for this and commit to working with the Office for National Statistics and other relevant bodies to improve the frequency and detail of suicide data by occupation.”
He was backed by Tory shadow Rural Affairs Minister Lord Roborough, who declared his interest as a dairy and livestock farmer.
He said: “I have asked in written questions and in debates whether the Government would commit to keeping detailed and timely data on the number of farmers and family business owners taking their own lives in the run-up to the introduction of the reduced inheritance tax reliefs, due in April next year. So far these requests have been denied or ignored.
“We know that a number already have taken that dreadful step and, as the deadline approaches, the risk will only rise. It would appear to be callous in the extreme that the Government refuse to take responsibility for this tragic human cost of their Budget decisions.”
Labour Minister Lord Leong said: “It is with immense sadness that we hear about suicides in the farming community and I agree that we need to have accurate and timely data.
“I promise that I will speak to my ministerial colleagues at Defra and the ONS as far as their request is concerned.”
The exchanges came as critics warned that flagship workers’ rights reforms represented “a further devastating blow to British agriculture”.
The Employment Rights Bill, which has already been through the Commons, aims to crack down on zero-hour contracts without the offer of work and gives workers certain “day one” rights, like sick pay, paternity leave and the right to request flexible working.
Lord Sharpe said: “The Bill… is not reform but sabotage.”