IN 2001, the Labour Party Manifesto promised not to "restrict the sports of angling and shooting". The new Labour Manifesto contains no such assurances, but does pledge to bring forward further legislation to "tighten the law on air guns".

Rather than being based on any evidence that it could stem the increasing problem of rising gun crime, such a move smacks of wanting to be seen to be "tackling the issue". As with other knee-jerk legislation, the only people who will be affected are those who already behave in a legitimate and responsible manner. The criminals will continue to be criminals.

We urge Labour to shore-up rural confidence by making clear its support for all shooting and angling. It still has the chance to do so during this campaign, although how it can promise to promote shooting while at the same time restricting it remains to be seen.

We are promised a "rural mini-manifesto", but relegating rural issues to a side-show is unlikely to make people in the countryside feel any less like second-class citizens.

Labour needs to explain why, when there are 23,000 words in the Labour Manifesto, only 320 are devoted to rural communities.

SIMON HART,

Chief Executive,

Countryside Alliance, London.