Reform slams Kemi Badenoch's plan to axe inheritance tax: 'Tories seized £84bn from grieving families!'

Reform has slammed the Tory leader Kemi Badenoch's rumoured plan to abolish inheritance tax (IHT), accusing the Conservative Party of raking in billions of pounds from "grieving families" when in power.

Ms Badenoch is understood to be weighing up a pledge to abolish IHT entirely should her party secure a majority of seats at the next general election.

Analysts note the proposal could serve as the flagship announcement in her party conference address next month as the Tories trail behind Labour and Reform in the polls.

Scrapping the levy would represent one of Badenoch's most significant fiscal commitments to date, building on her earlier promise last year to do away with stamp duty on property purchases.

Reform's Treasury spokesperson Robert Jenrick quickly poured scorn on the idea, branding it a "desperate play" and accusing the Conservatives of reneging on similar pledges in the past.

Over the weekend, Mr Jenrick said: "The Tories said they'd cut inheritance tax before, only to seize £84billion from grieving families in death taxes. We've heard this desperate play, and people won't be fooled again."

His party is instead championing a rise in the tax-free personal allowance to £15,000, a measure Reform claims would put £500 back in the pockets of 40 million people annually and shield some pensioners from paying income tax on the state pension.

Mr Jenrick went further, vowing to step down if the policy was not enacted in his first Budget as Chancellor if Reform became a party of Government.

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The former Conservative minister added: "Unlike career politicians in the Tory party, I'm willing to put my job on the line and resign if I don't deliver this in my first Budget."

As it stands, IHT applies at a rate of 40 per cent on the value of an estate exceeding the £325,000 nil-rate band and impacts around five per cent of households.

However, additional reliefs mean married couples or civil partners leaving a family home to their children can pass on substantially more before the charge kicks in.

Crucially, fewer than one in twenty estates are actually liable for the tax, which means abolishing it would amount to a comparatively narrow benefit.

Badenoch's team believes Labour is vulnerable on economic matters and intends to mount an aggressive campaign on taxation in the run-up to the election, a Conservative source told The Sun.

A Tory spokesperson said: "We have not decided our policy platform for the conference. Kemi has made no secret of her desire to cut taxes, singling out inheritance tax as one of those taxes she wants to cut in a speech last week."

The issue has gained fresh political salience following the Government's decision to bring unused pension wealth within the scope of inheritance tax from April 2027.

Recent research published by Rathbones revealed that more than two-thirds of grandparents surveyed said the tax had shaped their decisions about contributing to grandchildren's university costs.