Last weekend, the Countryside Alliance finished off this year's party conference season with two fringe events at the Conservative Party Conference in Manchester.

The first event, a joint drinks reception with the Conservative Rural Forum, took place on the evening of Sunday 5 October. The reception was incredibly well-attended, with MPs, councillors and party members from across the UK joining us. We were delighted to welcome the Rt Hon Victoria Atkins MP, Shadow Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to speak at the event. 

The next morning (Monday 6 October), our fringe panel event (Connecting with the Countryside) took place.

Chaired by Tim Bonner, Chief Executive of the Countryside Alliance, the event featured a high-profile panel comprised of the Rt Hon Victoria Atkins MP (Louth & Horncastle), EFRA Committee member Sarah Bool MP (South Northamptonshire), Lara Brown (Commissioning Editor, The Spectator) and Steph Spyro (Deputy Political Editor, The Daily Express).

Robbie Moore MP (Keighley and Ilkley), the Shadow Minister (Environment, Food and Rural Affairs), was also attending the event and kindly stepped in for the Shadow Secretary of State later on during the event.

The growing sense of disconnect between rural communities and the government was central to discussion, with Labour's tax proposals coming under particular fire, but with concerns being raised that both major parties had neglected rural voters. The importance of positive engagement and long-term planning was highlighted, and it was stressed that no party could take rural voters for granted anymore.

Victoria Atkins opened discussion with stark criticism of Labour policies, which she argued have placed increasing pressure on farmers and food producers, and have pushed up food prices. She urged attendees to sign a petition to oppose the government's Family Farm Tax, and vowed that the Conservatives would continue to prioritise long-term agricultural reform. She argued that, under the current system, quangos, particularly Natural England and the Environment Agency, are being obstructive to rural communities, and announced that a Conservative government would review the 34 quangos that work with Defra. She emphasised the economic contribution of rural businesses and communities, and committed to supporting them.

Sarah Bool, stated that the Conservative Party need to focus again on connecting with rural communities and treating agriculture as a core national priority, lamenting the fact that farming and rural issues have only returned to the forefront of the political discussion because of negative circumstances. She condemned Labour's changes to inheritance tax and speculated plans for a vehicle weight tax, and stressed that policies that might seem reasonable in urban contexts could be have damaging effects in rural areas. She concluded by stating that the Conservatives must rebuild trust, and suggested that this might be done by demonstrating that rural voices would drive rural policy direction in the future.

Lara Brown, Commissioning Editor at The Spectator,  pointed out that the countryside has become a political battleground. For decades, she argued, the Conservatives have relied on a core set of rural seats that were considered to be Conservative safe seats, for which the party did not need to actively campaign. That has now changed, she said, pointing to the large number of rural seats that Labour won at last year's election, as well as the efforts of other parties such as Reform UK and the Liberal Democrats in reaching out to rural voters. She stated that the Conservatives have focused too much on portraying Labour as worse, rather than offering their own rural vision, and stressed that post-Brexit policies have left many in the farming community feeling betrayed and that trade deals have prioritised food consumers over domestic food producers. The Conservative Party now need to present a proactive offer to countryside communities, she concluded.

Steph Spyro, Deputy Political Editor at The Daily Express, stated that rural communities have consistently felt ignored and overlooked by both major parties, pointing to Rishi Sunak's appearance at the 2024 NFU conference being the first by a Prime Minister since 2008 as an example of this neglect. She said that there is a long-standing disconnect between politicians and the countryside, and referenced the Family Farm Tax, expectations from Brexit that have not been met, and issues such as rural connectivity and housing as contributing factors. She stated that, while Labour have failed rural voters, the Conservatives also have a record of not delivering for communities in the countryside, and that is this distrust of both major political parties that has opened the door to parties like Reform in the countryside. 

As Tim Bonner stressed while facilitating the discussion, the political neglect of rural communities comes at a cost. The countryside is now a key political battleground, and parties would be wise to ensure that they engage positively with rural areas, think beyond the current political cycle, and have a clear policy agenda that supports rural communities.

Our series of events at this year's party conferences is now over, and we are incredibly grateful to not only all our speakers, but also to all our members and supporters who have made it possible for us to run these events. They are essential to our mission in brining the voice of the countryside to the highest levels of power. 

If you would like to support our work both in Westminster and beyond, please consider joining the Countryside Alliance today.