England's green and pleasant land goes red as voters in more than half of the most rural constituencies switch support to Labour - as environmentalist Tory MPs say Brexit freedoms must be used to help farmers

A host of senior Tories face losing their rural English seats at the next election as the countryside goes red for Labour, a new poll suggests.

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt and former ministers Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg and Thérèse Coffey are among those at risk after a collapse in support for the Conservatives in one of their main heartlands.

A Survation poll for the Country Land and Business Association (CLA) suggests 51 of the 100 most rural seats in England could vote Labour at the next election. Some 96 returned Tory MPs in 2019.

Sir Keir Starmer’s party has increased its support by 17 per cent since the last election in these seats, leading 37 per cent to 34 per cent overall. But the poll also found it is seen as being more understanding of ‘the rural way of life’ than the Tories.

Rishi Sunak’s party has seen support fall by 7 per cent in the past year, with most transferring to Nigel Farage’s Reform Party.

It comes as a leading network of green Tories urges the government to use Brexit freedoms to help UK farming deal with increasing financial pressure and the impact of climate change.

In a report endorsed by 27 MPs the Conservative Environment Network (CEN) is calling for inheritance tax on farmland to be abolished where farmers have improved the natural landscape.

Sir Keir Starmer ‘s party has increased its support by 17 per cent since the last election in these seats, leading 37 per cent to 34 per cent overall.

Sir Keir Starmer ‘s party has increased its support by 17 per cent since the last election in these seats, leading 37 per cent to 34 per cent overall. But the poll also found it is seen as being more understanding of ‘the rural way of life’ than the Tories.

While Mr Hunt’s safety in his Surrey seat has long been called into question, a defeat for Sir Jacob would be a major upset, as he sits on a majority of more than 14,000.

Other big-hitters at risk according to the CLA are ministers Mark Harper, Andrea Leadsom and Mel Stride, and ex-minister Liam Fox.

Its 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.’

In its report today CEN warns farmers are facing new challenges linked to climate change and increasing cost pressures hammering the industry.

It wants ministers to reintroduce the £2.8billion Environmental Land Management (ELM) scheme which pays farmers to make landscape and habitat improvements.

The abolishment of IHT would be linked to the scheme, and carried out via the Agricultural Property Relief rebate.

It also wants a supply chain review to ensure farmers are getting fair prices and relaxed planning rules to make it easier for farmers to convert buildings into shops.

MP James Gray, who sits on the Environmental Audit Committee, said: ‘This government has a strong track-record on using our post-Brexit freedoms to support farmers to farm sustainably. We should go further by abolishing Inheritance Tax for land which is delivering benefits for nature, as CEN’s manifesto proposes.

‘Currently, agricultural property relief on inheritance tax only applies to agricultural land. This threatens to discourage farmers from using their land for promoting biodiversity and entering our post-Brexit farming schemes, whilst punishing those who are already boosting nature. The Chancellor should use the next Budget to announce this sensible tax cut which could deliver real benefits for our natural world.’

Read more