MPs with farming connections wiped out at election

A wealth of farming knowledge in Westminster has been lost overnight, as former MPs and prospective candidates with agricultural connections failed to win the seats they contested.

The Conservatives’ Defra ministerial team took a hammering, with ex-farming minister Mark Spencer and environment minister Rebecca Pow losing their seats, though former Defra secretary Steve Barclay and junior Defra minister Robbie Moore were returned to parliament.

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As Labour celebrated winning a huge majority, other former Defra ministers such as Therese Coffey, Theresa Villiers, Liz Truss, Ranil Jayawardena and Victoria Prentis faced humiliation, with a significant Reform vote eating into their previously comfortable majorities.

Several former members of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Efra) select committee also failed to get re-elected.

Unsuccessful 

Other prospective Conservative candidates with links to farming, such as farmer James Wright, who stood in Bath, and Ashton-under-Lyne hopeful Lizzie Hacking, who comes from a farming family and has an agriculture degree, ran unsuccessful campaigns.

Meanwhile, big hitters with farming knowledge such as George Eustice, Michael Gove and Sir Robert Goodwill made the decision not to stand again.

However, all of Labour’s Defra team prior to the election, including Daniel Zeichner and Steve Reed – who have been credited with listening carefully to industry – held on to their seats.

Impressed 

It is not yet known whether Mr Reed and Mr Zeichner will retain their Defra posts, but Tenant Farmers Association chief executive George Dunn said he hoped they would.

“We’ve been particularly impressed by Daniel, being someone from a very urban constituency who has bothered to understand the issues and engage with the issues,” he said.

“So if he does find himself in post as farming minister, we would see that as a positive.”

Several former Labour members of the Efra committee were also returned to parliament, and a number of Liberal Democrat candidates with farming connections either held or won their seats.

It was a good night for the Liberal Democrats, which made significant gains, though former NFU deputy president Stuart Roberts and Foundation for Common Land executive director for England Julia Aglionby missed out in the seats they contested for the party. 

During the course of the election campaign, the NFU made it a priority to reach new faces, contacting 904 candidates and meeting with 378.