A new YouGov poll commissioned by London law firm Kingsley Napley shows increased opposition to tougher IHT rules. Meanwhile, TWM Solicitors has reacted to Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch's announced plans to roll back on IHT.

As fears grow that the UK government might intensify the bite from inheritance tax (IHT) in this year’s Autumn Budget in November, a YouGov poll commissioned by London law firm Kingsley Napley shows that 54 per cent of the British public want to abolish IHT, up from 49 per cent a year ago. 

The survey covered 2,220 UK adults aged 18+ online over the period of 24 to 25 September 2025.

Opposition to tougher IHT rules has grown since this time last year, despite the state of the public finances, the survey reveals. Seventy-six per cent of respondents oppose an increase in the current 40 per cent rate at which IHT is levied, up from 69 per cent in September 2024. Sixty-seven per cent favour raising the £325,000 ($435,000) threshold at which IHT must be paid, a small increase compared with 64 per cent last year.

Another finding is that only a fraction of respondents have taken professional advice to reduce a potential inheritance tax liability. Seventy-six per cent have either not considered or decided against doing so, despite the fact that ever more estates are falling within the net of IHT.  

The research comes ahead of UK Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves’ Budget. She is expected to keep thresholds in place but introduce further tweaks to IHT exemptions, following changes to pension taxation and the business and agricultural land reliefs she has already targeted. Rumours include the suggestion that Reeves could introduce a gift cap and/or changes to the tapering rules on gift allowances. There have also been reports that she is considering axing the primary residence nil rate band exemption.

“Inheritance tax is effectively this country’s wealth tax. It is only paid by one in 20 estates and whilst it is not a big moneyspinner for the Treasury in the scheme, it will no doubt be tempting for the Chancellor to squeeze more revenue out of these estates given her other pledges,” James Ward, partner and head of private client at Kingsley Napley, said. “Ms Reeves is unlikely to give two hoots about growing public opposition to IHT reform, despite the fact it is evenly spread in the voter community.”

“We have had a busy summer of clients wanting to [review their] estate plan ahead of possible IHT related Budget measures,” he continued. “However, interestingly, our research shows that only 5 per cent of the general public have taken advice on mitigating any IHT that may be due on their estate. Many may therefore be missing an opportunity to protect their estates for loved ones left behind,” he said. “Of course, the irony of any forthcoming Budget measures is that the property market slow down and increased caution of parents gifting to their offspring bank of Mum and Dad style may mean any IHT changes become an own goal for the Treasury in any event.”

Kingsley Napley is urging those who have not yet reviewed or updated their estate planning ahead of 26 November to do so urgently.  

“There is still time to gift out of excess income, set up trusts or benefit from potentially exempt transfers before these measures are blocked in future,” Ward said.

UK wealth manager Rathbones also recently highlighted a surge in clients queries on how to manage the transfer of wealth to the next generation after changes were announced last year, among them the inclusion of pensions in IHT calculations from April 2027, as well as reforms to agricultural property relief and business relief. 

Badenoch's plans to roll back on IHT
In response to Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch's plans to roll back on IHT, David Lunn, partner in private clients at Surrey-headquartered TWM Solicitors said her pledge to fully restore Business Property Relief and Agricultural Property Relief would be welcomed by a lot of UK business owners and farmers.

“There has been growing concern about the impact of charging inheritance tax on businesses and farms being passed down from one generation to the next – particularly that good, viable businesses might need to be broken up or sold to pay tax and that the UK’s food independence would not be assisted by adding to the pressures already facing farmers up and down the land,” Lunn said in a note.

Badenoch is seen as facing an uphill battle to regain power after last July's big election defeat and the Conservatives' low opinion in poll ratings. Among Badenoch's eye-catching proposals in her annual party leader speech was a pledge to get rid of stamp duty tax on house transactions, as well as her stance on IHT.

“These [Conservative] proposals could go even further by seeking to simplify the tax and make it easier for the average taxpayer to understand and by making it easier for honest people to declare properly what they should,” Lunn continued. “Simplification could start with the abolition of the rather complex residence nil rate band with the regular or ordinary nil rate band being increased to £1 million – keeping that fully transferrable would bring the figure to £2 million for married couples and civil partners.”

“The annual gift allowance should also be raised well above its outdated £3,000 limit to a figure more like £15,000 which would make it much easier to spot when this level had been exceeded and, thus, much easier to declare honestly,” Lunn added. “We also think that gifts should fall outside the estate for IHT purposes within five years rather than the current seven years as, again, it is easier to make accurate and honest declarations over a shorter period of time.”

Lunn said making inheritance tax simpler, easier to understand and pay honestly would go some way towards making it less unpopular, as would restoring it to what it was originally intended to be. “It was never intended to be a tax on hard-earned, already-taxed and unexceptional levels of family wealth,” he said.