The National Farmers’ Union has accused Rachel Reeves of “refusing to engage” with it over the inheritance tax row which sparked mass protests in London yesterday.

Rachel Reeves’s first Budget has torn up the financial plans of thousands of families across the country.Farmers and business owners are scrambling to head off the Chancellor’s raid that will see their inheritance tax bills dramatically increased.

Rachel Reeves dug in against farmers heading to London for large-scale protests over controversial changes to inheritance tax. The Chancellor and Environment Secretary Steve Reed issued a joint statement ahead of what was expected to be demonstrations in the capital by as many as 20,000 farmers, possibly even more, outside Parliament.