When I was growing up on the family farm, near Pelynt, politics in my family and the wider farming community seemed to broadly follow long-standing traditions – Methodist and Liberal, C of E and Tory. My cousin still laughs about the time, back in the 70s, when my Dad, fearing he was straying off this path, took him aside to say: “Now look here boy; you can mess about with the Liberals, but the family’s Tory.”   

Since 2010, and following the Tory/Liberal Democrat Coalition, this picture has been changing and the Labour Party is now in second place across our county, including here in South East Cornwall. 

I think even my father would agree that today’s Tories are the party of the super-rich 1% – too out of touch to understand the values and priorities of our farming and rural communities.

It’s clear to see that despite all Johnson’s bluster, and hollow promise of an “oven ready” deal, successive Tory ministers have failed to deliver their post-Brexit promises regarding the replacement of EU subsidies and ensuring frictionless trade for farmers exporting their produce. Like all businesses, farming needs certainty in order to plan and invest.

 So, I wasn’t surprised to read in the “Farming Diary” section of the Cornish Times, that “Government neglect of the rural economy has created a cost of living ‘rural premium’ – according to the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Rural Business and the Rural Powerhouse.”   

This means that MPs of all parties are in agreement that, thanks to the Conservatives, our rural communities are experiencing even greater financial hardship than other parts of the country.

Last week, when the Tories asked the voters right across the country if they would like to sign up for more of this they answered with a resounding “No” at the ballot box.

With the Labour Party now on track to win a majority at the next election, this is the perfect time for our farming and countryside communities to talk to the party about their concerns, and to lobby for the policies they believe are required to ensure that their sectors flourish and grow.

The local Labour Party has recognised this need and has organised a public event to be held in Liskeard Public Hall on Saturday May 20. We have brought together a panel of experts, to include a local tenant farmer, an NFU representative, a wildlife organisation and a minister from Labour’s shadow DEFRA team. 

All are welcome to join us from 6.30pm, when there will be a bar, pasties and cake before the evening culminates with “Question Time” session. We look forward to seeing you then.