The Chancellor of the Exchequer announced yesterday (3 September) that this year’s Budget will be delivered on 26 November.  

The date will fall nearly a month later than last year’s Budget and be the last on which it could be issued. Analysts believe that the reason for the delay is that the Chancellor is hoping for more positive economic news towards the end of the year. If, however, forecasts remain gloomy, she could find herself as well as the nation’s finances under considerable pressure. 

Farmers Guide asked the Countryside Alliance for our take: 

David Bean, parliament and government relations manager at Countryside Alliance, said that the Autumn Budget 2025 represents a key opportunity for the government to begin mending its “broken relationship” with the countryside and rural communities. 

"Controversial policies, such as the family farm tax, have created this rift, so we would urge the government to listen to those, including the Labour majority EFRA committee, who have called for an urgent rethink. 

“Rachel Reeves was right to say that hard-working people feel stuck – she would do well to remember that farmers are first and foremost among that number,” he added. 

The announcement coincided with the government’s response to the House of Commons Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (EFRA) Committee report on the future of farming, which featured a striking condemnation of the Family Farm Tax. 

The Committee, chaired by the Liberal Democrat MP Alistair Carmichael but with a majority of Labour members, highlighted the risk of “unintended negative consequences” that could affect “the most vulnerable.” It recommended that the government should pause its planned changes to Agricultural Property Relief and Business Property Relief from inheritance tax, allowing time to consult on alternatives. This came after the Countryside Alliance urged the Committee to investigate and report on the issue in a formal submission. 

Judging by its response, the government was unmoved and unimpressed. While praising the report as “timely and comprehensive” and maintaining “[t]he Government’s commitment to farmers and the vital role they play in feeding our nation remains steadfast,” it went on to say, “There is also an urgent need to repair the public finances which is why the Government is implementing these reforms.” It claimed that the government’s vision depends on the three strands of centring food production, allowing diversification of income streams and restoring nature, but none of these objectives can be achieved if inheritance tax bills price the next generation of family farmers out of farming. 

The Countryside Alliance rejects the notion that the public finances should, or even could, be balanced on the backs of British farmers. Alongside our other priorities for a Budget that strengthens rural communities, we will continue to press the Chancellor to scrap her iniquitous Family Farm Tax.