Taken for granted: rural vote up for grabs if Labour can make hay

Countryside feels let down by 13 years of Tory rule but other parties will not pick up votes by default

When Keir Starmer takes to the stage at the National Farmers’ Union conference next week, he may find his audience more receptive than expected.

The rural vote is swinging away from the Conservatives, and seats in communities that have been true blue for years could be going to Labour or the Liberal Democrats at the next election if recent opinion polls are borne out by reality.