𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

Andy Burnham’s Labour party cares more about cities than people living and working in rural communities, according to a new poll. Just 15% of people say they have the Government’s backing.

It comes as separate analysis shows that 27 damaging policies have been imposed on rural communities since 2024. These include the family farm tax and National Insurance rises – both imposed by Rachel Reeves – to affordability checks on horse racing, plans to ban trail hunting and restrict game shooting. The damning findings come ahead of Monday’s launch of Campaign for the Countryside, with former Prime Minister David Cameron and ex-Labour Home Secretary David Blunkett speaking.

The polling shows that more than one quarter (28%) of rural residents said they would be more likely to vote Labour if the party resets its relationship with those communities.

This was particularly true for voters in Wales and Scotland. Nationally, 24% of all voters said the same.

Across Great Britain as a whole, nearly twice as many people believe that the government does not care about countryside people – 22% agree that they do, while 38% disagree.

A majority of all those surveyed (55%) by ORB International for the Countryside Alliance agreed that the government favours cities over the countryside. Only one in ten (11%) disagreed with this statement.

Tim Bonner, chief executive of the Countryside Alliance said: “These findings are powerful because they show not only how crucial it is for the government to undo the mistakes of the past, but also the opportunity which a rural reset could bring.

“The poll is a warning of the dangers for the government on focusing on issues that don’t actually matter to the public, as well as clear encouragement to drop or change damaging policies and re-engage with rural communities”.

A government spokesperson said: “We have pledged to deliver growth in every postcode and are determined to rebuild trust with the farmers who are the cornerstone of rural communities.

“This is backed with real action, including helping farmers through this exceptionally dry summer, as well as investing billions in sustainable farming and food production.

“This is the start of a new conversation with farmers and rural communities as we work together to build a stronger future for British farming and unlock growth in rural areas.”