The arrival of Andy Burnham in Downing Street is an opportunity for Labour to reset its relationship with the countryside after the multiple missteps of the Starmer years.

Almost since the day Labour took office rural communities have felt that policies affecting their lives and livelihoods have been developed without properly understanding their consequences. From farming to shotgun ownership, to National Insurance rises for rural businesses and, of course, on trail hunting, the government has been way out of step with the priorities of the countryside.

The new Prime Minister has an opportunity to change that: to listen, to engage and to demonstrate that his government is interested in delivering for the countryside rather than pursuing policies which divide it. The future of hunting is an important part of that wider conversation.

The consultation on proposals to ban trail hunting may have closed, but the campaign certainly has not. Working jointly with the British Hound Sports Association (BHSA) through the Future for Hunting campaign, we have entered a different phase of our work.

Over recent months that campaign has, quite deliberately, been highly visible. From the extraordinary response to the government’s consultation and the Marsham Street Meet outside Defra supported by local packs, to the many thousands of people who have supported Future for Hunting at events across the country, the strength and determination of the hunting community has been impossible to ignore.

More than 91,000 people responded to the consultation through the Future for Hunting e-lobby alone, ensuring that MPs in every constituency heard directly from those who oppose an unnecessary and unjustified ban on trail hunting.

Inevitably, some of what is happening now is less visible. That should not be mistaken for inactivity. We are awaiting the government’s response to the consultation and greater clarity about its legislative plans - a process which could take several months.

Meanwhile, political engagement remains at the heart of the Alliance’s work. As part of our wider call for a rural reset, we will continue making the case directly to politicians that further legislation on hunting would be unnecessary, divisive and damaging to rural communities, while ensuring they understand the practical consequences of pursuing a ban.

Much of that work is necessarily targeted and takes place away from the public gaze, although we are working with the hunting community to deliver certain aspects. Meetings, briefings and conversations rarely generate the headlines of a demonstration or mass mobilisation, but they are essential to keeping the arguments put forward by our community firmly in the minds of decision-makers.

Our media work also continues. We remain determined to challenge misinformation where appropriate and ensure that the voice of the hunting community is heard in the national, regional and countryside media. That does not mean responding to every attack or seeking publicity for its own sake but choosing the right opportunities to make the strongest arguments and build understanding and support for hunting.

At the same time, the Countryside Alliance and BHSA continue to coordinate our activity and tell the positive story of hunting: its people, hounds, traditions and communities, and the enormous contribution hunts make to rural life.

The consultation was never an end point, but one stage in what is likely to be a much longer political process. The remarkable response demonstrated what can be achieved when the hunting community works together. There will undoubtedly be moments when we need to mobilise again, but for now a more targeted approach continues.

For the Countryside Alliance, that means making the case to Andy Burnham and his government for a genuine reset in Labour’s relationship with rural Britain, while continuing to work alongside the BHSA through the joint Future for Hunting campaign.