Labor admits it was 'too disconnected' from rural voters

Steve Reid, the shadow environment secretary, is expected to say Labor now has «respect» for the party. to rural communities Photo: Ian Forsyth/Getty Images Europe

Labour is expected to be «too out of touch» with rural voters over the past two decades, the shadow environment minister is expected to admit.

It is expected that Steve Reed will do it. tell farmers and landowners on Thursday that under Sir Keir Starmer, Labor now treats rural communities with «respect» compared to the recent past.

The Labor MP for Croydon North will say that after Labor won a majority of rural seats in Parliament in 1997 and 2001, the party «has become too out of touch with the aspirations and concerns of our rural communities.»

< p>Shadow The Environment Secretary hopes to secure a rural election victory by promising access to cheaper clean energy, cuts in food imports and a veterinary deal with the EU during a speech at the Country Land and Business Association (CLA) conference in central London.

It is part of the party's wider bid to appease rural voters who have long supported the Conservative Party and to put distance between the current opposition and Jeremy Corbyn's Labor.

He will speak to more than 600 people. rural businesses and landowners: “Under Keir Starmer's leadership, Labor now respects our rural communities.”

“And that means people from urban areas—like me—are not telling people who live and work in rural areas how they should live their lives.”

Rural Labor Force Surge

He is expected to promise «the biggest ever transfer of power from Westminster to the British people in every part of the country», adding that Labor wants «rural communities to control their own future».

A recent poll by the CLA, which represents more than 1,000 people in England's 100 most rural constituencies, showed an 18 per cent fall in Conservative support and a 16 per cent rise for Labour.

The Tories and Labor will be almost neck-and-neck in the race for victory among rural voters at the next general election.

Steve Barclay, who replaced Theresa Coffey as environment secretary earlier this month, will also speak. conferences.

Mr Reid is also expected to promise that the party will «shorten» the wait for planning decisions on renewable energy projects «from years to months.»

«To get that energy delivered to where it's needed, Labor will rewire Britain and make the National Grid move faster.

“Under the Conservatives, farmers and landowners had to wait years to get their renewables online,” he will say.

“Labour will cause damage to rural areas»

The Croydon North MP will reiterate Labour's ambitions to push for a veterinary agreement with the EU and to «cut red tape and costs at our borders» when importing and exporting food.

Sir Keir wrote for Country Life magazine in September in an attempt to attract the traditionally conservative party on its side. rural communities, becoming the first Labor Party leader to do so.

He promised to “strike a new deal for British agriculture” that included “ambition” for developing a vaccine against tuberculosis in cattle.

Mr Barclay said in response to his Labor counterpart's remarks: «Labour cannot claim to be empowering rural communities while promising to ignore their problems and concrete up its green belt to make way for urban sprawl.»

< p>“Labour's plans will damage rural areas. Only Conservatives make the long-term decisions needed to ensure a bright future for our British countryside.»