Sir Keir Starmer's Labour Party has found itself at odds with the rural community since the election (Image: GETTY)
Labour MPs in rural areas are increasingly alarmed at the prospect of Sir Keir Starmer alienating voters in the countryside – and have asked him to tone down government attacks on so-called nimbys. The Prime Minister has been warned that the loaded expression is divisive and will jeopardise the coalition that propelled his party to victory last year.
The Rural Rural Research Group (LRRG), representing a total of 26 MPs from country constituencies, believes the acronym for "not in my back yard” stigmatises people living outside urban area. Sir Keir Starmer previously implied such people are standing in the way of Labour's growth plans. However, LRRG polling suggested that 56 per cent rural of rural voters did not see themselves as nimbys.
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Angela Rayner and Sir Keir Starmer visit a building site in Cambridgeshire (Image: Getty)
In research published this week, the MPs said: "For development to succeed in rural areas, it must respect ... the connection to land, nature and local identity."
Jenny Riddell-Carpenter, 39, MP for Suffolk Coastal, who chairs the group, added: "If we capture what matters locally, build in for nature and make growth inclusive for our rural areas we can succeed where the previous government failed.”
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Since election, the Labour Party has increasingly alienated rural voters through a combination of policy neglect, cultural disconnect, and perceived urban bias.
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One key issue has been Labour’s approach to agriculture. Farmers argue that post-Brexit subsidy reforms and environmental regulations have been poorly communicated and inconsistently enforced, creating uncertainty and financial strain, not to mention the controversy over inheritance tax.
Jenny Riddell-Carpenter, Labour MP for Suffolk Coastal (Image: X)
The Government's push for rewilding and ambitious net zero targets, though popular among urban environmentalists, has sparked resentment among rural communities who see their livelihoods sidelined in favour of abstract green ambitions.
Moreover, Labour’s handling of rural infrastructure has done little to ease tensions. Promises to improve public transport have largely focused on city regions, while crumbling rural bus routes and slow broadband remain neglected.
This has reinforced the perception that Labour governs with an urban-centric mindset, out of touch with rural life and its challenges.
Culturally, Labour continues to struggle to connect with rural voters. Policies around land reform and national park governance have triggered fears of centralisation and loss of local control.
Meanwhile, Labour’s rhetoric on issues like hunting, shooting, and animal welfare is often seen as pandering to metropolitan sensibilities, alienating those who see such policies as an attack on tradition and rural identity.
In short, Labour’s focus on urban priorities is seen as having widened the rift between the party and the countryside.
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Labour’s plans to relax planning rules in order to accelerate housebuilding have sparked alarm across the countryside. While aimed at tackling the national housing shortage, many rural communities fear the proposals will lead to uncontrolled development that threatens the character and sustainability of villages and market towns.
The party’s commitment to building on so-called “grey belt” land — areas on the edge of the green belt — has intensified concerns that cherished landscapes and farmland could be lost to sprawling estates, with little regard for local infrastructure or services.
Critics have argued that Labour's top-down approach risks sidelining local voices in favour of arbitrary housing targets. Parish councils and rural campaign groups warn that the proposed reforms could undermine the planning process, eroding community input and environmental safeguards.
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