Dozens of Labour MPs have betrayed their rural constituencies by voting against the Tories’ motion to save family farms from Sir Keir Starmer’s inheritance tax raid.

MPs opposed the Conservative Party opposition day motion by 339 votes to 181, after a debate with cross-party opposition to the tax plans.

Shadow Environment Secretary Victoria Atkins pleaded with MPs to “axe the family farm tax” implemented following “cock-eyed accounting”.

Ms Atkins raised the “worry, distress and sense of betrayal” felt by farming families over the policy during the opposition day debate.

Liberal Democrats, the Conservatives and Reform voted against the farm tax while Labour MPs supported the party’s amendment which defended its proposals.

Ms Atkins said: “We’ve taken the unusual step actually of giving lots of notice to Labour MPs that we would be debating Labour’s family farm tax today.

“We did this because we wanted to give Labour MPs in rural seats time to reflect and consider whether they can continue to support this vindictive tax.”

During the debate, she said: “Before ambitious backbenchers … get to their feet and accuse these farmers and us of scaremongering – something they’ve been happy to do in the past – think on, discover some humility and compassion and ask why tens of thousands of decent, hard-working and sensible people across the United Kingdom know that the Chancellor has got it so wrong.”

One rural Labour MP, Markus Campbell-Savours, warned that if the vote were “real” he would oppose Ms Reeves’s policy.

The MP who represents Penrith, a constituency with more than 1,600 farms, blasted: “I’m no rebel, I’m a moderate. But during the election I read what I thought were assurances from my party that we had no plans to introduce changes to APR.

“On this basis I reassured farmers in my constituency that we would not. Now, I’m simply not prepared to break my word.”

Farmers will pay a rate of 20% inheritance tax on agricultural property and land worth more than £1million when they previously paid none.

There is a higher threshold of £3million for couples passing on their farms.

The Treasury says about 500 estates a year are expected to pay inheritance tax under the changes but campaigners warned it could impact around 75,000 farms.

The Daily Express’s Save Britain’s Family Farms crusade has demanded that Ms Reeves U-turns on the inheritance tax raid.

Three Labour MPs have more than 1,000 farms in their constituencies, while another 47 Labour MPs have between 60 and 994 farms.

The Government tabled an amendment which defended its proposals and highlighted a commitment of £5 billion to the farming budget over the next two years.

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The amendment stated the Government has to “make difficult decisions to protect farms and farmers in the context of the £22billion fiscal black hole” left by the previous Conservative government.

A Labour spokesman said: “The Conservatives utterly failed the farming industry during their 14 years in government, forcing over 12,000 farmers and agricultural businesses out of business.

“They sold out British farmers in trade deals, left farms facing rocketing energy bills and allowed £300million earmarked for farmers to sit idly in the Treasury’s coffers instead of in their pockets.

“This Labour Government’s commitment to farmers remains steadfast because food security is national security. That is why are investing £5billion into farming over two years – the largest budget for sustainable food production in our country’s history.

“The changes to agricultural property relief set out in the Budget will only impact around 500 estates a year. This is a fair and balanced approach that protects small family farms while also helping to fix our public services after the Conservatives recklessly left a £22billion black hole in the nation’s finances.”