A new poll for the Countryside Alliance has found that just 15% of rural residents believe the Labour Party cares about people who live and work in the countryside, while 43% feel the Government has "waged war on the countryside." The findings come ahead of the launch of the Alliance's Campaign for the Countryside in Westminster, and follow the backlash over the family farm inheritance tax policy introduced under Sir Keir Starmer, which sparked mass protests before being partly reversed.

The ORB International survey also found that 28% of rural residents would be more likely to vote Labour if the party reset its relationship with the countryside. Labour peer Lord Blunkett, a mentor to new Prime Minister Andy Burnham, is urging the Government to abandon the proposed ban on trail hunting and to rebuild trust with rural communities, while Alliance chief executive Tim Bonner said the results should encourage ministers to drop policies that damage relations with rural voters. The campaign launch will also feature former Conservative prime minister Lord Cameron.