Nigel Farage stands up for Boxing Day hunts as Keir Starmer strikes to ban path looking and most voters say Labour have alienated rural communities

Nigel Farage was pictured attending a Boxing Day hunt today as Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer moves to ban trail hunting, which voters say will further alienate some rural communities. 

Starmer has been warned he has a long way to go to rebuild trust with country communities, following a partial climbdown which saw Labour backtrack on its plans to force farmers to pay inheritance tax on any assets over £1million.

As Boxing Day hunts clashed with his looming crackdown on the only form of fox hunting that remains legal in the UK, farmers learned the threshold would now rise to £2.5million. 

But if the Government hoped the move would earn them some grace with rural residents, the announcement of the intention to ban trail hunting just days before the traditional Boxing Day events has hindered efforts.

Boxing Day hunts typically see heated clashes across the country between participants and animal welfare campaigners, who say the annual practice, participated in by a minority of countryside dwellers, is outdated and amounts to animal cruelty.

But Reform UK leader Nigel Farage held no such qualms as he joined hunters at Chiddingstone Castle, Chiddingstone in Kent today, where he was pictured drinking a pint and smoking.

Across the country, members of rural communities bedecked in tweed and riding gear prepare to set out on hunt routes on horseback and accompanied by hounds on Boxing Day morning. 

Ministers announced a ban on the field sport – in which hunters follow packs of hounds through the countryside in search of pre-laid scents rather than live animals – as part of a wider Animal Welfare Strategy on Monday.

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage joined hunters at Chiddingstone Castle, Chiddingstone in Kent today, where he was pictured drinking a pint and smoking

Across the country, members of rural communities bedecked in tweed and riding gear prepare to set out on hunt routes on horseback and accompanied by hounds on Boxing Day morning

They say they are taking action over fears that trail hunting is being used to cover up traditional hunting of foxes, which the previous Labour government made illegal.

Environment minister Baroness Hayman said: ‘In our manifesto we said we would ban trail hunting, and that’s exactly what we’ll do.

‘There is evidence that trail hunting is being used as a smokescreen for the hunting of wild animals and that’s not acceptable. We are working out the best approach to take the ban forward and will run a consultation to seek views in the new year.’

Farage hit out at the plan, posting on social media over the weekend: ‘So now Labour wants to ban trail hunting. You might as well ban walking dogs in the countryside as they chase rabbits, hares, deer and foxes. Labour are authoritarian control freaks.’  

It comes as The Countryside Alliance pressure group said the Government had ‘alienated rural people’, with a poll suggesting 65 per cent of voters think the Labour administration unfairly neglects country communities.

The Government’s new animal welfare strategy, launched shortly before Christmas, set out plans to ban trail hunting – where packs of hounds follow a scent laid for them – in response to concerns it is being used as a smokescreen for foxhunting.

The Countryside Alliance defended the practice, introduced to comply with the Hunting Act 2004’s ban on pursuing foxes, and tens of thousands of people are expected to turn up at Boxing Day trail hunts.

The group claimed hunts contribute more than £100million a year to the rural economy.

The Government will launch a consultation in early 2026 on how to ban trail hunting.

Riders with horses and hounds take part in the Boxing Day Meet in Chiddingstone, Kent

Members of the North Cotswold Hunt take part in the annual Boxing Day Meet along the High Street in the village of Broadway, Cotswolds

Countryside Alliance chief executive Tim Bonner said: ‘When Keir Starmer said that he ‘wanted a new relationship with the countryside’ we all assumed he meant a better one, but in 18 months his government has alienated rural people and created the clear impression that it does not care about the countryside.

‘Its warped priorities have put taxing family farms, raising rates for rural businesses and banning trail hunting above policies that would benefit rural people.

‘While the partial changes to the family farm tax are a step in the right direction, the government must desperately learn the fundamental lesson of this policy debacle, which is that it needs to work with the rural community – not legislate against it.

‘The government has a very long way to go to rebuild trust.’

A poll by ORB International suggested only 36 per cent of Britons agreed or strongly agreed the Labour government cares about people who live in the countryside, while 76 per cent said they believed the Government prioritised urban issues over rural ones.

ORB surveyed 2,083 British adults online between December 12 and 14.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) defended its policies, pointing to its response to a review of the agricultural sector carried out by former National Farmers’ Union president Baroness Minette Batters.

A Defra spokeswoman said: ‘This government is committed to banning trail hunting, which is too often used as a cover for illegal fox hunting, and has strong public support across the country.

‘This builds on previous animal welfare reforms delivered by this Government, including giving police greater powers to prevent dog attacks on livestock, protecting farmers and animals alike.

‘The Batters Review highlighted the need for greater collaboration between industry, farmers and government – and that is exactly what we will do.

‘We have increased the individual inheritance tax threshold from £1million to £2.5million, meaning couples with estates of up to £5million will pay no inheritance tax.’