Andrew Allison, PopCon's Head of Campaigns, attended a farmers' protest near his home in East Yorkshire on Wednesday. 

I have to admit to feeling a little anxious on Wednesday morning. I had been told by an East Riding of Yorkshire Conservative councillor that there would be a protest against Labour's changes to Inheritance Tax and Capital Gains Tax for farmers taking place on 8th January. The plan was to have a convoy of tractors going through the town. That all sounded great, but what happens if only a handful of farmers turn up? The last thing any of us wanted was for it to be a damp squib. I needn't have worried, though, as not only did local farmers turn out in force, they were warmly applauded as they made their way through the narrow streets of the historic market town. 

Later in the day, during a full council meeting at County Hall, East Riding of Yorkshire councillors debated and voted on the following motion:

"That this Council shows its resolute support for our Farmers here in the East Riding of Yorkshire, their livelihoods and that of our rural communities with the following action: -

Writes not only to the Chancellor, but the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the Prime Minister himself, encouraging them to think again and reverse the changes to inheritance tax and capital gains tax on Farmers, changes that will threaten to destabilise not only family-owned farms and businesses, but our food security and rural economy.”

As you can see from the image below, the vast majority of councillors supported the motion. 

Below is a short video for you to watch so you can get a feeling for what it was like. More protests are planned and I will, of course, do my very best to attend them. Our farmers deserve our support.