Every candidate in countryside seats should have a full understanding of how to grow the rural economy, the CLA says
Rural votes across the country are up for grabs in the next general election following years of economic neglect, countryside campaigners have said today.
The Country Land and Business Association (CLA) has urged every rural candidate to have a full understanding of how to grow the rural economy.
According to the body, the UK's rural economy is around 19% less productive than the national average, with many barriers to economic growth.
Due to boundary changes, a shift in public opinion and a record number of incumbent MPs standing down, the next election will likely see hundreds of new MPs enter the Commons.
The CLA said that new MPs in rural constituencies would have to quickly understand deeply complex subjects, from agriculture policy to connectivity, planning to housing.
The group, which represents 26,000 farmers and landowners in England and Wales, warned that people in the countryside had faced years of economic neglect, with many now feeling politically homeless.
CLA President Victoria Vyvyan said: "There is still time for all political parties and candidates to grasp the key issues and help unleash the potential of the rural economy, and the CLA is ready to help their understanding.
“We will work with anyone whose ambitions match those of our dynamic and forward-thinking rural businesses. Whoever produces a robust and wide-ranging plan for growth in the rural economy will undoubtedly secure support.
“We encourage candidates to get in touch with their local CLA office to arrange farm visits, as well as encouraging farmers to engage with them.”
It comes as the Conservatives are fighting to keep hold of their rural heartlands, with a recent poll showing the party is witnessing a 25-point collapse in support.
The CLA and Survation poll, published last month, shows Labour's vote share has climbed to 37%, up 17 points on the 2019 general election result, with the Tories falling to 34%.
Since then, more respondents believe Labour understands and respects rural communities and the rural way of life than the Conservatives (28% versus 25%).
The Tories currently hold 96 of the 100 most rural seats, but face losing more than half to Labour and the Lib Dems, including those of Jacob Rees-Mogg, Jeremy Hunt and ex-Defra Secretary Thérèse Coffey.
But with England’s rural population standing at 10 million, the poll also revealed a large chunk of the electorate is still up for grabs.
Ms Vyvyan said it showed that people living in rural areas across the UK felt "disconnected from central government".
“For decades, governments of all colours have treated the countryside as a museum, failing to generate the conditions necessary for growth," she said.
"Whichever party produces a robust and ambitious plan for growth in the rural economy will undoubtedly secure support.
“For the good of our rural communities and the nation as a whole, now is the time for the main parties to make it clear that they will back the countryside.”