The Country 04/08/25: Farmer Tom Martin talks to Jamie Mackay

In part one of a two-part interview, our UK farming correspondent says he's suing the British Government over the inheritance tax. And Donald Trump agrees.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Here's their farm and correspondent in the UK, farmer Tom Martin,
social media influencer, and now he can add to his
list of achievements sewer of the government. Yes, he's sewing
the government over the very very unpopular inheritance texts in
the UK for farmers and farmer Tom, you've got big
time support on this or support on high places, President Trump.

Speaker 2 (00:24):
Well, that's true. I mean, I don't want to pick
you up in your terminology there, Jamie, but I wouldn't
describe myself as the sewer of the government. The sewer
of the government, of course, is down in in Westoxter.
But yeah, it's great, I mean great to hear Trump
just speaking so candidly. And you know, he's an interesting character,
isn't He is neiled the don but certainly speaking pretty

(00:45):
passionately about his farmers and the way that he is
he thinks he's protecting them. I mean, he did say
that we there's not an estate tax at all in
the US. There actually is, but I think the threshold
is fifteen million or thirty millions for a couple some
You know that that that's a significant difference. And it
was fascinating watching Starmer squirm and then try to try

(01:08):
to kind of pipe in with oh, you know, we're
only doing a little one and you know it's only
it's only a couple of percent, and really really feeling awkward,
and and wasn't it fascinating to see you know, Trump
holding court. I mean he's in he's in our countries,
in Scotland, and yet he was hosting as if he
would in the Oval Office in his own hotel, and
Ursula underlying the European Union, and Kit Starmer and then

(01:32):
the First Minister of Scotland all were ushered in as
if they were as if they were guests, as if
they were visitors. And yet you know, here we are
in Europe, in the UK, in Scotland.

Speaker 1 (01:44):
Bank roll in your legal case against the government, Tom
or have you just got deep pockets?

Speaker 2 (01:49):
There's a there's a crowd. I think we call it
crowd justice. There is a crowd justice campaign if you
if you wish to contribute, Jane, It's going to be
pretty expensive, but but it's absolutely vital. We're basically taking
the government to judicial review and that's where we're challenging
the process that they followed in order to get to
the to to create the legislation to change the inheritance

(02:11):
tax released that were in place for the last for
the last forty years. We were effectively saying they didn't
consult properly and they didn't consult wide enough, which which
is which is absolutely true, and the whole industry is
in agreement about that. Frankly, I think DEFRA is our
Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs that are
probably in agreement with that as well. But this is
this is a Treasury policy pushed by the Treasury, stamped

(02:36):
by the Chancellor, and it could be, amongst many things,
the undoing this government.

Speaker 1 (02:45):
Farmer Tom Martin caught up with them earlier this morning.
That's part one of the interviews.