Keir Starmer's resignation has prompted rural communities to call for a reset with the Government, as the Countryside Alliance's director of external affairs, Mo Metcalf-Fisher, criticizes the former Prime Minister's focus on 'toxic culture war policies'. In an opinion piece, Metcalf-Fisher states that Starmer wasted an opportunity to build on the goodwill he received from rural voters at the last General Election.
Record Rural Support Turned to Disappointment
After 14 years of his party being politically irrelevant in the countryside, Starmer pledged to renew the bond of respect between rural areas and politicians. Many rural voters gave him the benefit of the doubt, leading to a record number of Labour MPs representing rural constituencies, some for the first time in history. However, shortly after taking office, the Government launched what Metcalf-Fisher describes as an 'astonishing attack on the countryside' with the implementation of the family farm tax.
This policy caused 'untold pain and anxiety for farmers' and was, in Metcalf-Fisher's view, 'bad politics'. Despite partial changes to the policy last Christmas—changes in which the Daily Express played a key role—the political damage was largely done.
Culture War Policies Harm Rural Economy
The family farm tax set the tone for subsequent policies, including taxes on rural businesses and what Metcalf-Fisher calls 'toxic culture war policies' such as a ban on trail hunting and a clampdown on game shooting. These measures, he argues, will further harm an already fragile rural economy. Demonstrations by farmers and rural people on the streets of Westminster have become a regular occurrence.
Only last week, outside the DEFRA offices, protestors opposed the trail hunting ban and demanded an end to the 'war on the countryside'. Metcalf-Fisher laments that it never needed to be like this, concluding that Starmer wasted an opportunity to build on the goodwill given to him and his party at the election.
Call for Change Under New Leadership
With Starmer's resignation, the Government will soon look very different, and there will be time for ministers to consider a change of course. It is up to the parliamentary Labour party to choose the next Prime Minister, with potential candidates including Andy Burnham. Metcalf-Fisher expects to hear much about 'change' in the coming weeks, but rural people are sceptical given the events of the last two years.
'Change certainly does not start with culture war in the countryside and a return to the mistakes of the past,' Metcalf-Fisher writes. 'It means legislating for rural communities, not against them.' He concludes that if the next Prime Minister is serious about delivering for rural areas, the Countryside Alliance stands ready to work with the next government to achieve the best for the countryside.
