On Friday last week (5 September) the Countryside Alliance kicked off party conference season with a reception at the Reform UK Party Conference, which took place in Birmingham.
We were delighted to welcome Laura Anne Jones, MS for South Wales East, and Richard Tice, deputy leader of Reform UK and MP for Boston and Skegness, as speakers at the event. The reception was very well attended, with county councillors from across the UK, press representatives, and many party members turning up.
Laura Anne Jones, a farmer's daughter and keen advocate for the countryside, spoke first. She stated:
"I stand here not just as a voice from the countryside, but as a lifeline to those who work the land, protect our rivers, our local sports, and pass traditions on to the next generation. So let us stand together, rural communities and policy makers alike, and secure a future where our countryside thrives, traditions endure and our farmers are valued, not just for what they produce, but for who they are."
She repeated Reform UK's promise to abolish the Family Farm Tax, and spoke of the need to handle issues like bovine TB with firm action. Other issues she touched on were the use of prime agricultural land for solar farms, the relationship between supermarkets and farmers, and the need to improve the UK's food security.
Mr Tice spoke next. He reaffirmed the promise to scrap the Family Farm Tax and pledged that his party would go further in scrapping all inheritance tax, and spoke of his upbringing in a hunting, fishing and shooting community, stating that fieldsports need to be protected. He then pointed to the countryside's importance to the UK:
"There's a reason this great country of ours is so special. An integral part of it is our countryside. People come from all over the world - they adore the countryside and its activities, and they invest in it, they help sustain it, and they help grow it. And that is what is so vital about the work of the Countryside Alliance and others within our rural community, is that without that hard work, then it would die."
It was encouraging to hear a strong line from both speakers on rural affairs. Over the next few weeks, the Countryside Alliance will be holding events at all the major party conferences, and we look forward to hearing what representatives from the Liberal Democrats, Labour, and Conservatives will have to say about how they will be promoting the countryside and supporting rural communities. Our next event will be on at the Liberal Democrat Party Conference in Bournemouth, on Sunday 21 September.
You can find our full party conference schedule here.