A new poll suggests Labour could beat the Conservatives in a majority of the 100 most rural constituencies in England.
The survey, conducted by the Country Land & Business Association (CLA) suggests some shock defeats of big-name Tories in the countryside could provide Labour with its own “Red Wall moment”.
The poll of more than 1,000 people in England finds Labour is now ahead of the Conservatives by vote share, with the Tories plummeting by 34 percent since the 2019 election.
A 26 percent swing from the Tories to Labour, as this poll suggests, would mean senior Tory figures being ousted in a Keir Starmer landslide.
Among those thought to now be at risk of defeat are Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg, Jeremy Hunt and Therese Coffey.
The poll also suggests Labour will hold on to recent by-election wins in Selby and Mid Bedfordshire.
It does provide one crumb of comfort for the Conservatives, however, as 35 percent of those polled said they don’t know who to vote for, meaning millions of rural Brits are still to play for between now and the General Election.
A plurality of those polled also said they don’t believe Labour understands the rural way of life, with 33 percent blasting the metropolitan party.
Reacting to their poll, the CLA’s President Victoria Vyvyan said: “People living in the countryside are ambitious – they want to start businesses, create jobs and grow the economy but for decades, governments of all colours have treated the countryside as a museum, failing to generate the conditions necessary for growth.
“This poll makes it clear that rural voters up and down the country feel politically homeless and disconnected from central government – but their votes are still up for grabs. 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.”
Other senior Conservatives on course to lose, according to the poll, are Andrea Leadsom, Mel Stride, Mark Harper and Sir Liam Fox.
If the poll played out at the election, the Tories would be left with just 43 of the 100 most rural seats, compared to Labour’s taking of 51.
In December, former Labour MP Kate Hoey warned her party that they must end their “divisive” anti-rural politics if it hopes to win the next election.
The warning came ahead of the annual Boxing Day hunts, which Labour has consistently attacked.
Other senior Conservatives on course to lose, according to the poll, are Andrea Leadsom, Mel Stride, Mark Harper and Liam Fox.
If the poll played out at the election, the Tories would be left with just 43 of the 100 most rural seats, compared to Labour’s taking of 51.
In December, former Labour MP Kate Hoey warned her party that they must end their “divisive” anti-rural politics if it hopes to win the next election.
The warning came ahead of the annual Boxing Day hunts, which Labour has consistently attacked.
Sir Keir has promised to re-open the issue of hunting, by bringing forward new laws to “strengthen” the Hunting Act.
The Countryside Alliance’s Tim Bonner told the Express that Labour’s long-running feud over hunting has led to rural voters failing to take the party seriously at elections, which could prove the difference between a hung parliament and a majority.
Kate Hoey warned: “Labour needs rural seats to win a majority and needs to persuade rural voters that it has moved on from the divisive politics that saw it beaten so soundly in 2019.
“A war on the countryside, as past experience has shown, contributes to electoral defeat, not victory.”
