This land is their land..

Quarter of our farms owned by just 2,500 toffs and fatcats

-  GRAHAM HISCOTT

A QUARTER of all England's farmland belongs to just 2,500 owners, it can be revealed.

The revelation comes ahead of a Tory-triggered Commons vote on Chancellor Rachel Reeves's 20% inheritance tax on farms.

Under the new rule, the first £1million is tax-free and with other tax reliefs available, a couple could bequeath £3m of land tax-free.

But Kemi Badenoch's party is using Wednesday's opposition day debate to oppose it.

The Country Land and Business Association claims 70,000 farms could be affected annually but the government puts it at just 500. And Defra figures obtained by campaigner Guy Shrubsole highlight how large landowners would benefit most from any reversal.