𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

David Cameron and David Blunkett have joined forces to demand the government ditch the hated Family Farm Tax.

The unlikely pair made the rallying cry at a packed out event in London, part of a campaign launch calling for a reset of Westminster’s relationship with rural England.

Lord Cameron, 59, was the Conservative Prime Minister between 2010 and 2016, with Lord Blunkett, 79, serving on the front bench for Labour’s Tony Blair.

Speaking to campaigners and organisations representing groups from across the country Lord Blunkett said he felt the Family Farm Tax was “a mistake” and even branded it an “imposition.”

He added that it had been “a mistake in the Treasury, represented by my own party.”

Yet Lord Cameron added that “some of the things that have been done [to rural England] should make us angry.”

He added: “Not just the Farm Tax, what a stupid thing to do. Most farms don’t make a profit, the asset is the farm, the land and the buildings. If you tax that when one member of the family dies, it will leave the family.”

Slamming Labour further he added: “There is no national security unless you have a degree of food security. And that’s why it’s important to keep Britain farming […] and avoid stupid moves like the Farm Tax.”

The Daily Express has been running a campaign urging the government to reconsider its tax on Britain’s farms.

Our ‘Save Our Family Farms’ crusade calls on Andy Burnham to reverse plans initially introduced by Sir Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves which would slap British farms with a death tax for the first time.

It would mean rural communities could face an even tough future as the nation’s farms sell up to cover the cost of the tax upon their owners death.

The hugely unpopular levy has seen protestors in Westminster bringing tractors and even the next generation of farmers to tell Labour to back away from the charge.

It has even seen support from the silver screen, with TV superstar Jeremy Clarkson calling for Labour to urgently abandon the move.

Campaigners say that this is just one of many policies targeting rural communities, amid growing fears that Mr Burnham doesn’t care about the countryside.

Polling has shown that only one in ten Britons believe Labour doesn’t favour cities more than it does those who live in rural areas.

As former Mayor of Greater Manchester, Mr Burnham made a point of opening a new office in the city when he became Prime Minister.

Campaigners speaking to the Daily Express at the rally suggested this was evidence of Mr Burnham’s city-focused outlook.

Since walking into No10 he has only been to one farm, which a Westminster source described as “a fleeting visit”.

43% of those living in the country’s villages say they believe Labour has “waged war” on rural Britain as the Countryside Alliance revealed 27 damaging policies in such areas.

They range from the loathed family farm tax and hikes to national insurance, all the way through to Whitehall plots to outlaw trail hunting, restricting shooting and banning snare traps.

A Treasury spokesman said: “The Chancellor is fully focused on his priorities, to give families and businesses a bit of breathing space, back British jobs, and drive growth in every postcode, underpinned by a commitment to meet the fiscal rules.

“As has always been the case, decisions on tax are a matter for the Chancellor to set out at fiscal events, rather than routinely commenting on rumour, speculation or proposals.”

Rural campaigners attending the launch of the campaign pointed out that one in every four postcodes in the UK was in the countryside.