Conservative candidate for West Lancashire, Mike Prendergast, has criticised the lack of support and attention that Labour have given to farming and rural communities in their manifesto.
Mike said, “West Lancashire is a largely rural area with many farming communities and agriculture forming a huge part of our local economy. Labour, by mentioning rural Britain only once, have shown how little they care for our rural communities and how they don’t understand our countryside.
Farming, which is worth around £120 billion to the UK economy and employs over 4 million people, gets just 87 words in a 136 page document.
I think our farmers and rural communities deserve more and that’s why I’m pleased that the Conservatives have committed to increase the UK wide farming budget by £1 billion over the next parliament, reform planning for farm infrastructure, back farmers in trade deals and introduce a legally binding food security target.
We will champion rural communities on infrastructure, housing and flooding. All of these are huge issues for West Lancashire yet Labour has little to say or offer on these important issues.
I am committed to supporting our farmers and rural communities and on 4th July, people in West Lancashire will have a choice to either elect a Labour MP whose party has made it clear they don’t care about rural communities or elect a Conservative MP who will support our farmers and fight for our rural communities in Westminster.”