Marks & Spencer has urged the government to reconsider proposed reforms to inheritance tax relief on farms, warning that the changes could damage rural communities and undermine the UK’s food security.
Alex Freudmann, managing director of M&S Food, made the appeal to new Environment Secretary Emma Reynolds, highlighting growing anger among farmers over Labour’s approach to the countryside. “We support our farmers’ calls on the government to do more to support farming, and that includes supporting their call for a rethink on inheritance tax,” Freudmann said.
The FTSE 100 retailer has previously aligned with the National Farmers’ Union in lobbying ministers to extend consultation on reforms to agricultural property relief and business property relief. These measures currently protect many family farms from heavy inheritance tax bills, allowing land and businesses to pass between generations without financial ruin.
M&S’s sharper tone signals the company is ready to take a firmer stance against Sir Keir Starmer’s administration, amid weeks of rural protests and discontent. The issue is particularly sensitive for farmers who argue that new tax burdens could destabilise family-run operations already struggling with rising costs, global trade disruption, and strict environmental requirements.
In a letter to former Environment Secretary Steve Reed on June 19, M&S warned of growing doubts over the government’s commitment to domestic food production. Freudmann urged ministers to introduce a clear legal target for increasing the proportion of UK-grown food consumed in the country. “A clear and concrete target … would galvanise cross-government action,” he argued, adding that enshrining it in law — similar to net zero and nature protection targets — could strengthen farmers’ positions in planning and resource allocation decisions.
According to sources, Reed did not respond to the letter before being replaced. However, Reynolds has sought to reassure farmers, visiting a pig farm on Saturday as part of her early efforts to engage with the sector.
A government spokesman defended the planned tax reforms, stressing their role in repairing public finances. “Our reforms to agricultural and business property relief are vital to fix the public services we all rely on,” the spokesman said. “Three-quarters of estates will continue to pay no inheritance tax at all, while the remaining quarter will pay half the inheritance tax that most people pay, and payments can be spread over ten years, interest-free.”
The row reflects mounting tension between the farming sector and the new government. For M&S, which works with hundreds of British farmers, the issue underscores wider concerns that short-term fiscal measures could jeopardise long-term resilience in food production — a challenge already compounded by volatile global supply chains and climate pressures.
