Starmer accused of betraying farmers as British food pledge stalls

Sir Keir Starmer has been accused of betraying Britain’s farmers after a new report revealed Labour has failed to deliver on its manifesto promise to back locally grown food.

Before the general election, Labour pledged that half of all food purchased by the public sector would be “locally produced or certified to higher environmental standards.” With the public sector spending an estimated £5 billion a year on food, the pledge was billed as a potential multi-billion-pound lifeline for farmers.

However, data obtained by the Countryside Alliance shows that only two government departments currently source a majority of their food from Britain: the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (80%) and the Department of Health and Social Care (72%). Other departments either failed to record figures or admitted they had no policies on prioritising British-grown produce.

The findings come against a backdrop of widespread discontent in the farming community. Chancellor Rachel Reeves’s inheritance tax reform last year, which slashed reliefs available to family farms, prompted a record 3,175 closures and triggered tractor protests in Westminster. Farmers, still reeling from those measures, now see the unfulfilled food pledge as a further betrayal.

Richard Tice, deputy leader of Reform UK, said: “After slapping an unjust and disastrous inheritance tax on British farms, it comes as no surprise that Labour are continuing their betrayal of UK food producers. It’s almost as if they are trying to wipe the sector out entirely.”

Victoria Atkins, the Conservative shadow environment secretary, added that the government was “quietly shelving every promise it made to rural Britain,” warning that farmers faced “their worst-ever harvest” while prices continue to rise.

Gareth Wyn Jones, a sheep farmer and campaigner in Conwy, called the failure to support British produce “a total disaster.” He warned the country was “sleepwalking into food shortages” unless more was done to back domestic agriculture.

The National Farmers’ Union (NFU) echoed the criticism, with deputy president David Exwood describing progress on sourcing British-grown food as “disappointing.” He said: “Public procurement should be a powerful tool to support domestic food production, yet progress remains slow. Farmers produce high-quality food to some of the world’s leading standards, and supporting their work is vital for the UK’s resilience and food security.”

Despite Labour’s manifesto stating that “food security is national security,” several departments — including the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs — noted that current “buying standards for food and catering” did not require them to source domestically.

The government has defended its record, insisting that its new National Procurement Policy Statement and Procurement Act would open up more opportunities for farmers to bid for public-sector catering contracts.

A government spokesman said: “Our commitment to farmers and food producers remains steadfast. We want our farmers to be well placed to bid for a fair share of the £5bn spent on public-sector catering contracts each year.”

The issue is fuelling growing disillusionment with Labour in rural constituencies. Polling shows that the proportion of countryside voters who believe the party “does not understand rural Britain” has doubled since the election. Reform UK is now targeting disenchanted voters, promising to raise the farming budget to £3bn and end climate-related subsidies.

Analysts also warn the impact of climate change is exacerbating the crisis. The Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) has predicted one of the UK’s worst harvests in decades following a summer of drought.

Tom Lancaster, an analyst at the Energy & Climate Intelligence Unit, said farmers urgently need more support to adapt to “extreme, record-breaking weather,” while also investing in healthier soils and resilience measures.

For now, however, farmers say they are left with promises, not delivery. David Bean, author of the Countryside Alliance report, said: “In the face of economic uncertainty, and with a barrage of other government policies making their livelihoods harder, British farmers deserve more than warm words. They need meaningful, measurable action.”

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Starmer accused of betraying farmers as British food pledge stalls