Shooting and fishing an “intrinsic part of our communities”, says Shadow Defra Secretary of State

Shadow Defra Secretary of State Victoria Atkins MP paid tribute to shooting and fishing when she addressed guests gathered at a rural reception hosted by BASC and the Angling Trust at the Conservative Party Conference 2025.

Shadow Defra Secretary of State Victoria Atkins MP (pictured above) was introduced by Sir Geoffrey Clifton Brown MP, who is chairman of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Shooting and Conservation and a BASC vice president.

He told the reception that he was delighted once again to host the annual reception, which underlines the importance of “all areas of the countryside sticking together and supporting each other” and praised the shadow secretary of state for being an “absolute champion of farming and the rural areas”.

Victoria Atkins said: “As Shadow Defra Secretary of State, I am delighted to be here today. It’s a real pleasure to be here to support the amazing organisations of BASC and the Angling Trust. This event every year at conference is such an important reminder of the fabric of our rural and coastal communities.

“I am so privileged to represent Louth and Horncastle in Lincolnshire where we have not just the joy of shooting and angling, but also some of the best chalk streams in the world.

“A fact that is often overlooked is that our countryside sports are an intrinsic part of our communities, of how we look after each other and how we watch out for each other. It is that fabric of society that we have to work together to conserve and to promote.

“So the message we want to get across to all of our rural communities is that we care, we are listening, and we have their backs and we need your support as activists, as councillors, and as members of associations. We need all of you to help us take this fight forward for rural communities.”