‘Back off Starmer’ song by Northamptonshire farmer becomes a hit
3rd January 2025
A Northamptonshire farmer, Nick Tarry, has shown his dissatisfaction with changes to the inheritance tax by releasing a song that became a hit in just a week.
Mr Tarry said that he wrote the ‘Back off Starmer — I wanna be a farmer’ as he felt “really let down” following Autumn Budget announcements for the farming industry.
He added: “Like many other people, we’re farming land that has been in our family for generations. My granddad bought the land for a lot less than it’s worth now.
“We need this asset to continue the business. This is what people aren’t realising that farmers are asset rich but cash poor. Our margins are very small.”
READ MORE: ‘Changes to BPR will have severe and long-lasting impact on farm businesses’
READ MORE: Farmers deliver their produce to Chancellor Rachel Reeves
Family project
Mr Tarry, who is a fifth-generation farmer and a former band member, uses the music he creates as an outlet to emphasise significant issues.
“When the changes to the inheritance tax were announced, it made sense for me to write a song about it. I wanted to sing it from the next generation’s perspective.
“I didn’t intend to make a video. But then I got my kids involved, and it sort of grew from there.”
Mr Tarry said that the feedback from the audience has been “fantastic”.
“It feels really good reading people’s comments, and it seems like we’ve got a lot of support from the general public. They understand the message that farmers are sending across.”
The arable farmer added that his children, eight-year-old son Oliver and five-year-old daughter Isabella, as well as his dad Richard, are also very happy that they took part in the project that highlights an issue that currently troubles many British farmers.
Watch the music video here:
Listen ‘Back off Starmer — I wanna be a farmer’ on Spotify here and on Apple Music here.
Read more rural news.
