Labour and Conservatives ramp up battle for rural votes

Labour has pledged to respect the countryside, grow the rural economy, back British food producers and tackle rural crime in a bid to replace the Conservatives as the farmer’s choice.

In a speech to the Future Countryside conference at Syon Park, west London, shadow Defra secretary Steve Reed said all political parties, including his own, had “ignored the needs and aspirations of rural communities for too long”.

See also: Labour takes poll lead over Tories in rural heartlands

But he said Labour under Sir Keir Starmer was “unrecognisable” from the party voters rejected in 2019.

And if it wins the general election on 4 July, it will end 14 years of Tory “chaos” and “reverse the decline in our countryside”.

Steve Reed © Lloyd Winters

Mr Reed, Labour’s candidate for Streatham and Croydon North, also insisted that “people from urban areas, like me, will not tell people who live and work in the countryside how they should live their lives”.

Defra secretary Steve Barclay addressed the conference after Mr Reed had left.

He told delegates from the farming industry and countryside organisations that voters face a “clear choice” at the election.

This was between the Conservatives, who are prioritising food security, have introduced the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI), a scheme to support nature-friendly farming, equipment grants to boost on-farm productivity, have extended badger culling to tackle bovine TB – or a party which is out of touch with rural communities.

Mr Barclay said Labour’s record in office had shown the party is “not sympathetic to the needs of the rural economy”.

He warned that Labour leader Keir Starmer sees the Welsh government’s farming policy as a “blueprint” for England. But if Welsh Labour’s “top-down eco scheme” was applied in England, around 20,000 farms could go bust.

Mr Barclay also questioned why Mr Reed did not mention how a Labour government would tackle bovine TB, an issue of “huge concern” to many farmers.

“Where farmers in Wales are subject to TB, senior Labour figures have said, well, they should just stop farming rather than have the approach that we have set out,” said Mr Barclay, describing this approach as “insensitive”.

Labour councils were also banning meat from menus, in preference for plant-based alternatives, he added.

Steve Barclay © Lloyd Winters

Labour ‘missions’

In his speech earlier in the day, Mr Reed set out Labour’s plans to “transform” Britain with five “bold” missions to give rural areas a future.

This included taking action to tackle crime and GPS thefts by increasing police patrols in the countryside and making offenders clean up their own fly-tipped waste.

Other pledges include a new bill to strengthen Britain’s food security and support rural growth, and a target of 50% of food in hospitals, Army bases and prisons to be sourced locally and produced to high environmental standards.

Labour would “slash Tory red tape” in the SFI and seek a new veterinary agreement with Europe “to get British food exports moving again”.

Mr Reed also emphasised that Labour would not create Scottish-style “right to roam” in the English countryside, if elected, but access could be increased by reopening closed footpaths.

Both parties are expected to publish their election manifestos in mid-June.

The Liberal Democrats have promised to inject an extra £1bn a year into the UK agricultural budget.

Meanwhile, Reform UK says it would scrap climate-related farming subsidies and bring back direct support.