The Labour Party has launched its Rural England Policy Review, led by Shadow Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Secretary, Luke Pollard MP.
In February, Keir Starmer addressed the NFU conference and said he wanted Labour to become the natural home for rural voters once more.
The Party claimed new analysis revealed rural England stands to lose more than £255 million this year alone as a result of Government cuts to the Basic Payments Scheme for farmers.
The Review is a year-long listening exercise seeking to explore what rural communities want and need from their elected representatives. ’Over the course of the Review, the party will also be running a programme of roundtables and village hall meetings in rural areas across England to directly feed in views and ideas.
Labour’s Shadow Defra Secretary, Luke Pollard MP, said: “The Tories have taken rural England for granted over the past decade, cutting access to vital public services and allowing local businesses to go bust.
“Against this backdrop it can’t be right to recklessly take £255 million out of the rural economy this year alone. The Government needs to get a grip on this, review it, and provide the security that our rural communities desperately need as they recover and rebuild. Our Rural England Policy Review will ensure that our next manifesto provides as much hope and opportunity to rural communities as it does to those living in towns and cities.”