'Joining' accounts to escape Inheritance Tax?

Milarky

Does anyone know if this should work (or conversely cannot work)?

Joint accounts can be held by parents and their adult children - specifically the suriviving parent and her adult children? The interest paid on such an account is divided equally and the liability to income tax also at each person's marginal rates.

If there are several adult offspring, their intended inheritances could be deposited in joint names with each one. On death of the parent the surviving account holders would each possess all (or a share of) their inheritance in their own names and with no IHT liability?

Would it make any difference if this 'joining' of accounts relates to a redisignated existing account in the child's name - and containing their own prior savings? (For example, the child could have substantial savings and then put an equal amount into a new joint account with the parent using their own savings)

Since no actual gifting is entailed, and the inheritance could flow either way - depending on who pre-deceases who - this sounds like an idea which must be bound to escape from IHT - including questions of timing in relation to survivial/inheritance. Question is, does anyone know?

Thanks

EDIT - Forget it. It won't work, since whilst the title of the account does indeed pass to the surviving named holder the previous share of the deceased named holder does not pass as an 'exempt transfer' (typically one between spouses). In fact it looks 'worse' than gifting - which is 'potentially exempt' based on how long after the gift the donor survives. I also believe that whilst the assessment ought to lead to no more money being treated as part of the estate for IHT than the deceased put in (less what they subsequently took out) things can get messy. So it seems like a bad idea overall!