A group of rural Labour MPs has published a report calling on the government to implement a fresh approach to rural policy that acknowledges the crucial role the countryside plays in national economic growth.

The group, called the Labour Rural Research Group (LRRG), is comprised of over forty Labour MPs who represent rural and semi-rural constituencies.

The report follows on from a previous report released by the LRRG on rural poverty, which was sponsored by the Countryside Alliance.

The new report, which was released in partnership with the Countryside Land and Business Association (CLA), stresses that rural areas and communities are often overlooked in economic policy despite their vital role in food security, nature restoration, energy generation, and other areas.

Polling commissioned for the report found that almost two-thirds of voters (63%) believe the government should make rural people a higher priority.

The report makes a number of recommendations to increase rural economic growth, such as a government-wide rural economic strategy, support for scaling rural businesses, and stronger rural proofing of economic policy - all things for which the Countryside Alliance has long called.

James Naish MP, vice-chair of the LRRG and lead author of the report, said:

"Labour's central mission is economic growth, but this growth must be felt in every part of the country.

"As this new report sets out, rural communities shouldn't be seen as peripheral to national renewal - they are places where growth can be generated, productivity unlocked and national priorities delivered, from food security, nature restoration and flood mitigation to new housing and energy generation. Place-based policy is essential if we want to deliver for the UK as a whole.

"Our polling shows that voters recognise this. They want the government to take rural communities and the rural economy more seriously as part of rebalancing the economy, and they recognise that farming, food security and rural growth can be central to the country's future."

Sarah Lee, Director of Policy and Campaigns at the Countryside Alliance, commented:

"We are glad to see a number of recommendations that the Countryside Alliance has long advocated for included in this report.

"The countryside is at the heart of the nation's economy, and it is only through promoting and supporting rural communities and businesses that both rural areas and the nation at large can flourish.

"As the polling in the report shows, voters want the government to prioritise the countryside. We hope that the government will listen to its rural MPs and rural communities, and take these suggestions on board."