Report

Green and pleasant

This report from UK think tank the Fabian Society looks at rebuilding rural Britain.

Rural and coastal communities are seldom given the attention they deserve in British politics. This edited collection seeks to change that, exploring how the ‘peripheral’ geography of rural and coastal areas shapes the challenges they face and laying the groundwork for a Labour offer to voters living in them. Labour needs these communities. Many of Labour’s target seats have a significant rural population. Fifty of the 150 seats previously identified by the Fabian Society as ones that Labour should consider targeting have at least 25 per cent of their population living in rural communities. The collection includes exciting new research conducted by the Fabian Society’s Ben Cooper, in partnership with YouGov, showing that Labour has drawn level with the Conservatives in rural Britain. Contributors: Jim McMahon MP, Ben Cooper, Daniel Zeichner MP, Mark Shucksmith, Jane Atterton, Jonathan Roberts, Silviya Barrett, Colin Smyth MSP, Graham Biggs, Sheela Agarwal, Sheena Asthana, Chris Cowcher, Catherine Fookes, Nick Thomas-Symonds MP, and Andrew Harrop.