Two thirds of voters think Sir Keir Starmer has abandoned rural Britain, a poll has revealed.
Laying bare the countryside’s damning verdict on Labour, the results of the survey showed that 65 per cent of the public think the party ‘unfairly neglects’ those living in the countryside.
According to more than three quarters of the 2,000 Britons polled, the Government instead prioritises the concerns of cities and towns.
The survey, carried out for the Countryside Alliance campaign group, also found that banning trail hunting – which Labour is planning to do – was not a public priority.
It comes as tens of thousands are expected to turn up in support of traditional Boxing Day trail hunt meets tomorrow.
This week, Sir Keir was forced to water down his hated family farm tax after 14 months of protests.
The threshold at which inheritance tax will apply to farmers will more than double, from £1million to £2.5million, halving the number of estates affected.
Official figures show that thousands of farming businesses have closed since Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced the tax raid in her first Budget last year.
The results of the survey showed that 65 per cent of the public think the party ‘unfairly neglects’ those living in the countryside. Pictured: A placard at a farmers’ protest in London earlier this month, against Labour’s former changes to inheritance tax rules
The survey also found banning trail hunting – which Labour is planning to do – was not a public priority. It comes as thousands are expected to turn up to traditional Boxing Day trail hunt meets tomorrow. Pictured: A meet in the village of Chiddingstone, Kent, on Boxing Day 2023
A record 6,270 agriculture, forestry and fishing businesses shut their doors in the year to October, according to the Office for National Statistics.
Rural campaigners say the inheritance tax move is ‘a step in the right direction’ but warn ‘there is more damaging policy coming down the line’ for farmers and the countryside.
The climbdown came after ministers announced changes to animal welfare rules which could lead to British farmers being undercut by foreign rivals.
Officials pledged to ban cages for chickens and pigs by 2030 but will still allow the import of produce from abroad that doesn’t meet those standards, putting British farmers at a disadvantage.
The Government’s policies have prompted questions about whether Labour has declared war on the countryside.
When asked what the Government’s priorities should be, not a single respondent in the poll mentioned a ban on trail hunting.
The public’s prime concerns were the economy (36 per cent), immigration (17 per cent) and health and social care (15 per cent).
Trail hunting was introduced after the creation of the Hunting Act 2004, which banned fox hunting.
It involves a trail of an animal-based scent being laid, which the hounds then follow. It replicates traditional hunting methods, but live animals are no longer pursued.
The Government believes the practice is being used as a smokescreen to hunt wild animals.
Campaigners say that hunts contribute more than £100million a year to the rural economy and form part of the social fabric of rural Britain.
Tim Bonner, chief executive of the Countryside Alliance, said: ‘When Keir Starmer said that he “wanted a new relationship with the countryside” we all assumed he meant a better one, but in 18 months his government has alienated rural people and created the clear impression that it does not care about the countryside.
‘Its warped priorities have put taxing family farms, raising rates for rural businesses and banning trail hunting above policies that would benefit rural people.’
He said the Government needed to ‘work with the rural community – not legislate against it’.
