I witnessed a farmers' protest derail Prime Minister Keir Starmer's Milton Keynes media day

Everything was ostensibly going to plan until around about 10am today (13 February), when blaring horns could be heard roughly 100m from where the Prime Minister’s team had set up a filming spot.

Initially it was unclear whether the noise had come from nearby JCBs or protesters. However, a quick look round the corner of the makeshift refreshment marquee, that had been set up at the construction site of the Elverby Primary School and health centre set to be built in Newport Pagnell, revealed that a number of tractors had penetrated the Prime Minister’s security perimeter.

Within moments, Downing Street’s plans for the day went up in smoke.

Quick-witted reporters left the media scrum area to record and take photos of the farmers, who had lined up in rows to blast their horns and drown out the UK leader.

Next, one of the farmers started honking the tune Sandstorm by Darude, and this point it was clear the main story had shifted. No longer were journalists assembled to hear more details of Labour’s ambitious ‘new towns’ plan to address the housing crisis. Instead, the day had been taken over by farmers who continue to protest the Government’s policy to end an inheritance tax exemption, which would lead to a 20% increase costs for qualifying farms.

The dozens of farmers who had attended were all willing to talk to the press and it was easy to spot a quiet pride among the group, given that they had managed to get up close to the Prime Minister without much resistance.

In contrast, previously relaxed press officers were now attempting to control the narrative. They were initially successful in quickly rounding up journalists and getting them back onto the shuttle bus that had transported us to the photo shoot area.

However, when it became apparent that the Prime Minister’s security and the police were going to have to draw up an exit strategy for Mr Starmer, and we were stuck, everyone soon jumped back off the bus to continue chatting with the farmers.

Eventually a new route was found to get Mr Starmer away. A half dozen or so farmers, who were stood behind police officers, were disappointed that he didn’t at least stop for a quick word.

Numerous members of the protest group expressed their disappointment that the Government had been reluctant to engage with people in the agricultural industry. One mentioned frustrations with how the National Farmers’ Union was handling negotiations, and mentioned that as a reason for why some farmers were taking more aggressive steps to themselves heard.

That left one big question, just how did the farmers know Mr Starmer would be at that construction site?

His exact location had only been shared with journalists at 7pm the previous evening, yet one member of the Farmers to Action group revealed he knew the whereabouts of the gathering by 8pm.

It is said that a source tipped off the farmers, ahead of time, but given that only a select group of journalists, Government, and police staff knew about the event that question is likely to be a sore topic for Downing Street officials.

Downing Street has offered to rearrange interviews with the press in attendance and Mr Starmer’s team said he was acting on police intelligence, when declining to complete the planned interviews on site.