Keir Starmer has been slammed after failing to address protesting farmers’ concerns over Labour’s changes to inheritance tax this weekend.

Hundreds of demonstrating farmers gathered outside the Welsh Labour conference as the prime minister was speaking on Saturday, holding signs which read “enough is enough” and “no farmers no food”.

It comes after the government decided to reduce the amount of tax relief farmers get on inherited land in its Budget, meaning it’s harder for farms worth more than £1m to be passed down through the generations.

Protesters also told reporters they would be delivering the PM a letter which starts, “don’t bite the hand that feeds you,” amid concerns farming strikes could trigger food shortages.

On Sky News on Sunday, presenter Trevor Phillips asked transport secretary Louise Haigh why the PM had not acknowledged the crowds outside.

He said: “Why did he not have anything in his speech which held out hope to the farming community that the things they objected to – particularly inheritance tax – might be alleviated?”

Haigh said Starmer had set out a “defence of the Budget” in his speech, adding: “None of us came into politics in order to leverage tax on the farming community, but we were left with a very difficult fiscal inheritance.”

But Phillips pushed back: “Your colleagues have told me that many times, but what I really want to know is, why did he have nothing to say to farmers yesterday?

“They were gathered, they were demonstrating.

“From what their leaders say, they are hurting. The prime minister had nothing to say to them.”

“Colleagues have met with representatives of the farming community, we do understand these concerns,” Haigh replied.

She continued: “But these decisions have been made, and we think they’ve been made in a fair and proportionate way in order to fund public services.”

Phillips then changed tact, and asked: “Is it wise for the farming minister to respond to the anger of farmers by telling them to ‘calm down’, which is apparently what he’s done?”

“I don’t think we would use language like that –” Haigh replied.

“That’s what he said, he said ‘look at this calmly’. Perhaps you might want to correct the tone.”

Daniel Zeichner told BBC Politics East on Sunday: “I urge people to look calmly at the detail and I think they will find that the vast majority will be fine.”

Haigh told Phillips that Labour recognise the contribution from farmers through its new deal with farmers which would make sure 50% of our food comes from British farmers.

Starmer did not mention the farmers in his speech on Saturday, but did say he would “defend our decisions in the Budget all-day long”.

He said: “I will defend facing up to the harsh light of fiscal reality, defend tough decisions that were necessary to stabilise our economy, and I will defend protecting the payslips of working people, fixing the foundations of our economy, and investing in the future of Britain and the future of Wales, finally turning the page on austerity – once and for all.”

He added that it was “long overdue for Westminster politicians to level with people, honestly, about the trade-offs that Britain faces.”

Two more farming protests are planned in central London on Tuesday.