The 2024 general election marked a historic shift in British politics. Labour’s landslide victory overturned some of the largest Conservative majorities in traditionally safe rural seats: South West Norfolk (26,195), South East Cornwall (20,871), and Suffolk Coastal (20,533) among them.
As somebody who grew up in my constituency of Suffolk Coastal, I know just how seismic that change was. It blew through our local political map like a hurricane, and shattered the ‘rural myth’ that only a blue rosette could ever win in Suffolk Coastal.
But this change is more than just a switch around of political parties, from right to centre-left. It represents a hunger for change, and a deep need to be heard.
It is an undeniable truth that our rural areas have been left behind; they have been too easily overlooked or too frequently misunderstood. This culture of failing to understand – and then failing to serve – our rural areas is a truth that has prevailed in successive governments, of all colours and political persuasions.
Not one government. But all governments, for decades. A ‘rural blind spot’ has even existed when very senior ministers, deputy prime ministers and even prime ministers, represent rural constituencies – just like under the last government.
This disconnect has driven rural voters to become more open to change, less loyal to party labels, and – most recently – to re-evaluate who can champion their needs best. The Conservatives’ failure has left a space that needs filling; a ‘rural void’ once filled by the Conservatives but now all opposition parties are clambering to fill. If we don’t understand that, and if we fail to grasp it, it could prove to be not just catastrophic for the Labour Party – but dangerous for the nation too.
As MPs representing this so-called ‘Rural Wall’, we now have a responsibility to ensure that rural communities are front and centre of the Labour Government’s mission for inclusive growth and opportunity. That’s why nearly 30 Labour MPs from rural and semi-rural areas across England, Scotland, and Wales came together to form the Labour Rural Research Group (LRRG), which I chair. Our mission is simple: to ensure rural voices are no longer ignored and that our rural communities are at the centre of national conversations about growth, opportunity, and our country’s future.
This summer, the LRRG launched our first report, Understanding Rural Britain, which revealed that there is a particularly strong sense of identity in rural Britain and a widespread desire for Government to recognise rural areas as distinct and unique.
More than 80% of respondents believe a distinct rural strategy is needed to address challenges unique to rural life, including access to public services, affordable housing, and the future of farming and food production. Rural Britain is complex – education, transport, health care and wider services either underperform in rural areas or are absent. Jobs, careers, opportunities feel more limited, and far toomany (52%) think that the only way for local young people living in rural areas to succeed in life is to move away.
I’m fiercely proud of my constituency, and like my constituents I’m proud of where I live. My constituents – just like the majority of rural voters – despise being called NIMBYs (Not In My Back Yard). And why wouldn’t they? They are progressive, and many of them voted Labour. In fact, 65.2% of rural voters polled agree that development in their area should proceed, as long as it is delivered thoughtfully, and with consideration for local needs and identity.
Shouting at people and telling them they’re wrong isn’t how we’ll win them over. Equally, we need to acknowledge that, to rural voters, rural identity matters and they want to protect it. More than 90% of those polled told us that protecting the countryside is important to them – and we’re not going to convince them otherwise (nor should we).
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I have no doubt that the next general election will be fought over, and for, the countryside. The political Right will try to paint a nostalgic, romantic version of the UK with our countryside as the backdrop of the political debate – of Britain’s green and pleasant land, rolling hills, and market towns with real ale. Or of farmers, ‘country sports’, historic mansions and the like. The Right will try to frame the debate by saying that this is our collective identity, and that all of this is at risk. If we turn our back on this, the debate will be shaped by the Right – and we risk not understanding that, in many ways, this has already begun.
And Labour can’t afford to take our rural heartlands for granted – we can’t deliver our mission without our rural areas. New housing, new investment in energy, and transport infrastructure and upgrades will mostly depend on being built in our rural areas. Similarly, our food security, net zero targets and nature-based policies, and much of our tourism sector will only succeed with rural Britain on side.
The political realignment of 2024 – the crumbling of the ‘Rural Wall’ – signalled rural voter’s appetite for change, and we can meet that demand. We need to do more to create (and sustain) opportunities for young people in rural areas – and tackling rural poverty, growing rural economies, and unlocking rural growth must be a central pillar of our national focus.
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