Campaigners are calling on the Government to rethink its approach towards rural communities.
The call follows the resignation of Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer on June 22, after sustained pressure from within the Parliamentary Labour Party, despite leading Labour to a landslide victory in July 2024 and securing more than 120 rural Labour MPs.
Since taking office, Sir Keir faced mounting opposition from rural areas over policies described by some as a 'war on the countryside.'
These included the Family Farm Tax, increased business rates for rural pubs, plans to ban trail hunting, and restrictions on game shooting.
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Tim Bonner, chief executive of the Countryside Alliance, said: "This was undoubtedly a hard decision for the Prime Minister to make and we wish him and his family well for the future.
"But sadly, shortly after taking office, Sir Keir's government launched an astonishing attack on the countryside with the implementation of the family farm tax.
"We've seen taxes on rural businesses and toxic culture war policies including a ban on trail hunting and a clamp down on game shooting, all of which will further harm an already fragile rural economy."
The trail hunting proposal led to protests outside the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) offices in Westminster.
Mr Bonner said: "Change does not start with culture war on the countryside and a return to the mistakes of the past.
"We stand ready to work with the next government to achieve the very best for our countryside."
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