Labour’s relationship with the countryside is “already under threat” with Sir Keir Starmer failing to speak the “the language of priorities”, countryside campaigners have warned.
More than half of people (54%) believe the Prime Minister is performing poorly on his commitment to “restore the bond of respect” between Labour and the countryside.
This rises to two thirds (66%) of those in rural villages and more than three quarters (76%) living in hamlets or isolated houses.
The survey by ORB for the Countryside Alliance was done ahead of Boxing Day hunts today following Labour’s commitment to ban trail hunting.
Tim Bonner, chief executive of the Countryside Alliance, said: “The countryside was willing to give Labour a shot at the election, but that relationship is already under threat.
“If Keir Starmer is really interested in the language of priorities then trail hunting should be the last issue on the government’s agenda.
“There is no benefit to anyone from a huge political battle over an issue which is utterly irrelevant to voters in both the countryside and in towns and cities”.
Trail hunting involves dragging a scent-infused rag across the countryside, which a pack of hounds then searches for and follows.
The poll asked 2,077 members of the public for the top three priorities that they want the Government to address.
There was only one mention of hunting out of 6,049 responses.
Respondents were then asked to rank the importance of ten current issues as they would impact on their vote and trail hunting was the least important – significantly lower than all other issues cited.
The NHS took the top spot with 83% of the vote, followed by controlling immigration (57%) and defence spending (32%).
Trail hunting remains a bitterly disputed topic in the countryside and risks further fuelling tensions with rural voters in the wake of backlash against the changes to inheritance tax for farms.
The Government has been contacted for comment.
Meanwhile Furious farmers have announced another day of major protest, set for January, as they continue piling pressure on Labour to reverse its harmful tax plans.
The National Farmers Union today announced that towns up and down the country will see farmers come out in protest on January 25.
It will be the third major protest since the Budget, with farmers having twice shut down Whitehall in an effort to secure a U-turn from the Chancellor.
The Express has backed these demands through the Save Britain’s Family Farms crusade.
National Farmers Union president Tom Bradshaw said: “Farmers haven’t taken this destructive policy lying down and we won’t give up.
Towns in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland – from Land’s End to the Shetland Islands – will see farmers gather to thank the British public for their overwhelming support.
They also hope to hammer home to MPs the electoral importance of the issue, warning Labour that the campaign will not stop until the Inheritance Tax hike is given a full consultation.
There is too much at risk – our families, our future, our heritage and the undermining of the very sector that produces a safe, secure supply of British food.“This date will give everyone that wants to an opportunity to support family farms from right across the UK, to show unity and strength, and for farmers and growers to speak as one in our call for government to stop the family farm tax.
“ We are so grateful to the British public for their ongoing support on this issue.
“The 25th is not just a day for the farming community to show unity, but anyone who believes Britain’s family farms, and the high quality food they produce, deserve to be better valued and supported.”
