Keir Starmer speaks at farmers' conference in move to win rural vote

NFU members question Labour leader on post-Brexit changes as he proposes major review of party's farming policies

Badgers, bees and gene-edited livestock are among the key questions Labour will need to address if the party is to make headway in rural constituencies, this year's National Farmers' Union conference has shown.

Sir Keir Starmer became the first Labour leader in 13 years to speak at the NFU's annual gathering, a key date in the UK's farming calendar. His reception was hard to judge, owing to the online nature of the event, but he answered questions from farmers on topics ranging from food standards post-Brexit to nitrate fertilisers.