Suffolk Coastal Conservative candidate, Therese Coffey has been backed by local farmers who fear rural life would become much harder if Labour win next week’s General Election. It follows the launch of the party manifestos where Labour’s contained only 87 words on farming compared to a Conservative pledge to increase the farming budget by over £1bn in the next Parliament.
Suffolk farmer, Bruce Kerr said: “I know that Therese has been fighting our corner on water, labour availability and improving the latest trade deals. I have no confidence in the other parties and can see rural life becoming harder in the future. However, I know we can trust Therese to stand up for us, which is why I will be voting for her on the 4th of July.”
Ray Herring said : “Therese understands the importance of the rural economy and her support for farmers and their families has been vital this past 14-years.”
Therese said: “I’m grateful to Bruce and Ray for their support. Unlike the Labour manifesto, which contains just 87 words on farming, I’m proud that we recognise just how important farmers are in putting food on our tables and are pledging to continue to support them by significantly increasing the farming budget. We have also protected farmers from paying inheritance tax on their farms through Agricultural Property Relief and many farms have also already benefitted from Business Relief so they can keep on farming. This would be put at risk by Labour.”
Therese added: “When I was Environment Secretary, I also set out our party’s commitment to ensure UK farming is at the heart of UK trade talks at the Farm to Fork Summit and that has been underlined in our manifesto. Farming is a crucial part of our economy here in East Suffolk and I look forward to continuing to stand up for our food producers in the House of Commons.”
