英国工党政府与农民的关系因2024年预算中的农业继承税政策陷入严重危机，引发包括农民杰里米·克拉克森在内的大规模抗议，数万人参与其中1。根据国家统计局数据，去年共有创纪录的6,300家林业、捕鱼和农业企业倒闭1。此外，政府农业预算中的2.53亿英镑年度预算在短短6小时内用尽，导致数千农民无所获1。
曼彻斯特市长安迪·伯纳姆上任后改变了政府的应对态度，采取个人接触和政策对话相结合的修复策略1。环保部长安吉拉·艾格尔也积极走访农场，参与直接沟通1。一位乡村工党议员指出，首相斯塔默曾对质疑继承税决定的乡村议员采取冷遇，但在伯纳姆上任后"关系有了显著改变"1。政府成功避免了当年预算期间的新一轮抗议1。
然而，修复工作仍面临长期挑战。乡村联盟最近进行的民调显示，0%的农民表示会再次投票给工党1。前首相卡梅伦也罕见地公开批评政府，称农业资产继承税"愚蠢"1。
The UK Labour government faces a significant rural credibility gap following the backlash over agricultural inheritance tax changes announced in the 2024 budget.1 The policy, which farmers have denounced as "abhorrent," prompted mass protests including tractor demonstrations led by figures such as Jeremy Clarkson.1 The government's outreach efforts have intensified under Andy Burnham, the Manchester mayor, who is pursuing a strategy of direct engagement and policy dialogue aimed at mending fractured relations with the agricultural sector.1
The scale of the farming crisis extends beyond the inheritance tax controversy. Last year saw a record 6,300 closures of forestry, fishing, and agricultural businesses according to national statistics,1 while a government agricultural budget of £253 million annually was exhausted within six hours, leaving thousands of farmers without support.1 Despite the government's attempts to stabilize the situation and avoid further protests during the budget period, a recent poll by the Country Alliance showed zero percent of farmers would vote Labour again.1 A rural Labour MP acknowledged that Prime Minister Starmer had previously frozen out MPs who questioned the inheritance tax decision, but reported that "relations have changed significantly" since Burnham took office.1 The controversy has drawn criticism even from previous Conservative leadership, with former Prime Minister David Cameron unusually condemning the agricultural asset inheritance tax as "stupid."1
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