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A farming chaplain who received reports of 12 suicides in just one year has warned Labour's family farm tax is taking a devastating toll on rural communities. Graham Miles, 72, said he was inundated with calls from desperate farmers who feel they are "letting their ancestors down".

He said: "All over the country I am getting calls now. It takes a lot of courage for people to pick up the phone." Some farmers have told him "my family would be better off if I wasn't here," Mr Miles said. Mr Miles, a former shepherd, served as a Church of England chaplain for six years and now leads a body called Farmers Support UK, which offers a 24-hour helpline. He said: "I had 12 suicides reported to me in the last year, just in East Anglia."

The heartbreaking revelation comes as Rachel Reeves faces mounting fury over her inheritance tax raid on family farms, which critics say is driving farmers to breaking point. Mr Miles said young farmers in particular feel they are failing their families because they are unable to keep farms that have been passed down through generations.

He emailed the Prime Minister about the crisis, but said his message was simply passed on to DEFRA, the government department responsible for farms. The farming chaplain has also met the King, who he said was "very concerned" about suicides in the farming community.

Farmers still have the public on their side, but people are "shocked how farmers are being treated" by the Labour government, Mr Miles said. "Nobody is listening to us in government," he said. Farmers are also under pressure from rising costs and extreme weather.

The Daily Express has campaigned since July 2024 against Labour's family farm tax, warning it would devastate rural communities and threaten Britain's food security. Mr Miles said this newspaper "has really helped" farmers and there is "a light at the end of the tunnel, we just need to keep walking forward".

Rachel Reeves announced a partial U-turn in December over her decision to impose inheritance tax on family farms, raising the threshold from £1million to £2.5million, but critics say this does not go far enough. Under the new rules, combined business and agricultural property relief will be limited to £1million, above which inheritance tax will be charged at a reduced rate of 20%.

But when combined with other allowances, the effective threshold for a couple is £2.5million - still not enough to protect many family farms from being broken up to pay the tax bill.

Shadow Environment Secretary Victoria Atkins described the tax as "vindictive". She said: "Ministers ignored the warnings about loss of businesses, livelihoods and lives that this cruel tax was causing and arrogantly insisted they knew better than everyone else."

A spokesperson for the Department of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said: "Farmers are at the heart of our food security and environmental stewardship, and we are committed to ensuring they have access to the support they need. We know that farmers and rural communities have faced challenges and pressures, and we continue to listen to their concerns so that we can better respond to the difficulties they face."