A new annual event dedicated to the regeneration of Labour’s rural roots.

Rob Pursey, David Ward

The Fertiliser will take place on June 29th in Rolvenden Layne, a small village in the Weald of Kent. It will be a serious event, yet it will also be festive, with talks, discussions, music and supplies of local beer. Our hope is that it will recur on an annual basis. The need to restore Labour in the countryside won’t go away after the 2024 election.

Why create this new event? The fact is, we saw a gap that we could usefully fill. We had spent some time considering the implications of the boundary changes: up until 2023 we had been members of Ashford CLP – a seat that does have the potential to switch to Labour at the next election. With the map re-drawn, we found ourselves contemplating life in The Weald Of Kent: a new rural constituency, approximately twice the size of the Isle of Wight …. While on paper it looks like an impossible target for The Labour Party, we aren’t defeatists, and have no doubt – we will do our best to make life miserable for the Conservative candidate.

The Fertiliser is, to some extent, a response to this rather challenging situation. We want to turn it to our advantage, and hopefully to the advantage of the wider Labour movement.

It’s well-known but often ignored fact that a significant proportion of UK voters live in rural areas (more voters than live in greater London). Most of these people have the same political priorities as their urban cousins. Voters here in Rolvenden Layne, for example, are trying to cope with the cost of living crisis, they are seeing their public transport cut to the bone, they are scared by ambulance waiting times, they cannot find affordable housing. And yet, Labour has historically lagged behind the Conservatives with voters like these. Even now, with the most unpopular Conservative government in living memory, the projected proportion of Labour’s vote share is lower in the countryside.

The Fertiliser is a bid to understand that deficit, and to further move the dial. We want to do several things.

Firstly, we want to celebrate Labour’s rural roots. Our movement was born out of the struggles of rural labourers. More recently, we are the Party that created National Parks and Areas Of Outstanding Natural Beauty. We come from the countryside, and we have a history of protecting it. We should remember that history, and we should remember to celebrate it. The Conservatives have managed to cast themselves as the natural custodians of the countryside. This is a narrative we should seek to revise.

Second, we want to further inform Labour’s policy-making, so that the concerns of rural voters are not overlooked. There are particular challenges living a long way from an urban centre. The housing crisis is more acute here: the social isolation that is caused by a lack of affordable transport is more critical. There is a very strong sense of being left behind, of not ‘counting’. The default position becomes a quiet disengagement, or passive support for the Conservatives. If we don’t look as though we care about rural voters’ lives they are very likely to reciprocate that feeling and ignore us at the ballot box. Our ambition is to generate ideas and policies that will cut through to a set of voters who have remained out of reach.

Third, we should consider the cultural barriers that prevent rural voters from seeing Labour as their natural home. We shouldn’t see these voters as the ‘problem’. If they don’t like us we should work out why that is. Have we developed a habit of looking down on rural people? Do we have preconceptions that prevent us from treating them with the respect they deserve? We should consider how to present ourselves in a way that makes us the natural electoral option. We should also consider practical challenges. There are obvious organisational difficulties in a rural seat – The Weald Of Kent is a huge area and we know how hard it is to get through to people. What are the best ways of overcoming this challenge? How should we approach local politics?

Fourth, and finally, we should celebrate the countryside and the people that live there. We are blessed with some of the most beautiful landscapes in the world. We have farmers, brewers and bakers and who are creating wonderful produce. But the celebration goes even deeper than this. Love of the countryside is part of most British people’s identity. Some of our fondest personal memories are of trips to open spaces, summer holidays in rural idylls, even Sunday lunches in rural pubs. We should celebrate what feels good about rural Britain – as well as criticising and seeking to improve the things that have gone wrong for the people who live there.

And so, we hope that people will want to join us on 29th June.

We would like to turn this beautiful corner of Kent into a place where we can share ideas about Labour’s rural renewal, where we can hear some good music, and where we can share a festive glass of local beer and wine. We may struggle to win in The Weald Of Kent (in the short term), but we may help to provide ideas that will help swing other more marginal seats – seats where an uptick in rural votes could lead to a long-term Labour renaissance in the countryside.

You can find out more here https://www.wealdofkentlabour.com