Blunkett said that rural and urban communities should not be treated as separate interests (Photo: Countryside Alliance)
Former Prime Minister David Cameron and former Labour Home Secretary David Blunkett have joined rural leaders in calling on the government to reset its relationship with the countryside.
The two former Cabinet ministers were among speakers at a Westminster event organised by the Countryside Alliance to launch its Campaign for the Countryside. Representatives from farming, rural businesses, shooting and hunting and also attended.
The campaign is pressing ministers to reconsider policies which the Countryside Alliance believes are placing additional pressure on rural communities and businesses.
Opening the event, Countryside Alliance chairman Lord Herbert of South Downs said: “none of us should have to be here…but we’re here because the challenges and threats to the countryside have never been so great.”
He criticised the political focus on trail hunting, shooting and racing, arguing that rural residents were more concerned about issues including employment, affordable housing, schools, healthcare and community safety.
David Cameron, now Lord Cameron of Chipping Norton, used his speech to stress the importance of farming and domestic food production. Reflecting on his time as prime minister, he said he had learnt “never to forget the importance of rural Britain”, adding that there is “no national security unless you have food security”.
Cameron also criticised changes to Agricultural Property Relief and Business Property Relief from inheritance tax, describing them as the “family farm tax”.
From April 2026, qualifying agricultural and business assets receive full inheritance tax relief up to a combined ÂŁ2.5 million, with a lower level of relief applying above that threshold.
Trail hunting was another major focus of the Westminster event, with Cameron describing the government’s proposed ban as “completely wrong”.
The government has consulted on proposals to prohibit trail hunting in England and Wales, with 184,000 responses submitted.
Cameron also raised concerns about the government’s call for evidence on gamebird rearing, release and shooting in England. He argued that further restrictions could have wider consequences for rural businesses, including pubs and local services.
Blunkett, meanwhile, called for greater recognition of the links between towns, cities and the countryside. He told the gathering that “urban and rural are one and the same” and described both the inheritance tax changes and proposed trail hunting ban as “mistakes”.
Ahead of the event, Blunkett had also urged the Labour government to learn lessons from its handling of the inheritance tax changes affecting farms.
Former NFU president Baroness Batters also addressed the event, focusing on domestic food production and food security.
She claimed Britain’s food self-sufficiency was “plummeting” and argued that government policy was not matching political rhetoric around the importance of food security.
Batters said: “the countryside doesn't want to strike; it doesn’t want to protest. All it really wants is for the Prime Minister to succeed – to work with us, not against us”.
The Countryside Alliance says it has identified 27 government policies introduced or proposed since 2024 which it believes have negatively affected rural communities.
Its list includes inheritance tax changes, affordability checks affecting horse and greyhound racing, increases in firearms licensing fees and proposals to ban trail hunting.
Polling commissioned by the Countryside Alliance and conducted by ORB found 15% of rural respondents agreed that Labour cared about people living and working in rural communities.
The organisation also reported that 28% of rural residents said they would be more likely to vote Labour if the party reset its relationship with those communities, compared with 24% of respondents nationally.
The government has presented a different view of its rural record, saying its approach is intended to bring countryside communities into policymaking earlier and address issues including economic growth, housing, infrastructure, skills, health and connectivity.
The Countryside Alliance said it would write to the prime minister following the Westminster event, calling for further changes to the government’s approach to rural Britain.