Rural Voters Feel Labour Doesn’t "Get" Them, Says Shadow Environment Secretary

Rural voters feel the Labour Party does not "get" them, shadow environment, food and rural affairs secretary Steve Reed has said in an interview with The House magazine.

Reed, the Labour MP for Croydon North since 2012, was moved from the shadow cabinet justice brief in September last year and put in charge of rural affairs instead. Part of his job now is to restore support for Labour among voters in the countryside.

“There's a definite perception that Labour doesn't get rural voters,” Reed told The House. “That is reflected in the fact that we only won two rural seats at the last general election. So that is certainly how rural voters feel.

“I think in part that's because Labour had allowed itself to become viewed as being too much of an urban party, and people living in the countryside felt that an urban party didn't fully understand their way of life.

“Labour has to correct that. We've been working very, very hard to engage with rural voters, but also to start treating the countryside with respect and treating rural communities with respect.”

Reed offered harsh criticisms of his party’s performance in the last general election. “Labour did badly everywhere in 2019. It was our worst election result for 85 years. We did badly in urban areas, suburban areas, and rural areas. We lost everywhere to everyone, to be frank.”

But he suggested Labour’s track record under former prime minister Tony Blair showed rural areas are winnable for the party. “In '97 and 2001, we had a majority of rural seats, but at the last general election in 2019 we only won two,” he said.

“We want to make sure that the Labour Party, if we get into government, can represent and speak for the whole country. And that means winning seats in the countryside