A Liberal Democrat secretary of state has issued a statement saying that she believes the Conservatives have let down farming and rural communities.

Visiting Cornwall for the general election campaign, Baroness Kate Parminter, the Liberal Democrat shadow secretary of state for environment, food, and rural affairs, issued the comment.

She said: “Cornwall’s farming and rural communities have been let down by the Conservatives, who have failed to guarantee to replace the funding lost by Brexit for the long term and have taken rural communities for granted.

“We need a new reformed system for agricultural support for farmers to ensure British farming remains competitive and doesn’t lose out after Brexit.

“We also need to encourage new and younger people to come into farming by championing different forms of ownership including longer tenancies, share farming and community ownership.

“Our rural communities have been taken for granted by the Conservatives and their needs ignored.

"We would invest £2bn to ensure the provision of universal high speed broadband, and work with Ofcom to ensure that mobile phone companies provide fast and reliable coverage in rural areas."