Ten years ago today the hunting ban came into force, not just outlawing the cruel pursuit of fox hunting but also other so-called blood sports. Ten years on, it is worth reflecting on the huge national and parliamentary campaign that we needed to ban the outdated practice of hunting with dogs.
Visitors from another planet would be amazed to find that up until 10 years ago grown adults in Britain were allowed to enjoy the barbaric killing of animals as sport. They would find it even odder that many members of parliament, the vast majority Tories, and campaign groups wanted to turn back the clock on blood sports.
The Hunting Act was as much a triumph for the determination of campaigners as it was a victory for animal welfare. The hunting ban was one of the biggest parliamentary battles of the last two decades with vociferous opposition from the Conservative benches, dead horses left in the streets by pro-hunt protestors, and a parliamentary game of risk in the House of Lords.
The ban was not just about fox hunting, it bans other forms of hunting with dogs including the particularly barbaric sport of hare coursing. In own patch, the police have reported illegal hare coursing still going on in Milton Keynes, as in other places.
Yet the ban remains overwhelmingly popular with the British public despite ongoing efforts to undermine it by many on the Conservative government benches. The law summarised the great British affection for wildlife and disdain for cruelty dressed up as sport. The ban has not brought the countryside to a standstill as many opponents suggested.
Even with the ban, we have some way to go to stamp out animal cruelty. The coalition agreement included a commitment to a free vote on repealing the hunting ban. It is likely that the Conservatives will campaign in the election to scrap the ban. David Cameron and the Tories are determined open up the debate again. The current secretary of state for the environment, food and rural affairs, Liz Truss, recently said that the Hunting Act was a ‘mistake’ and that she would ‘vote for a repeal’. My own Tory MP in Milton Keynes South is one of many who wants to repeal the Hunting Act and make fox hunting and hare coursing legal again.
Labour has a long and proud tradition of protecting and improving the rights of animals. While the hunting ban does not come up on the doorstep often, it does speak to the kind of country we want to be. It also shows how shallow Conservative modernisation is. While some new Tory MPs have caught up with the modern world, too many are still obsessed with overturning the ban. The coalition has failed to deliver on animal welfare during this parliament, starting the badger cull in parts of England and refusing to take action to ban the use of wild animals in circuses. There is a big next agenda for animal welfare, as Labour’s shadow environment secretary Maria Eagle MP outlines today.
Animal welfare campaigns and Labour can be proud of the Hunting Act. It is another sign of how Labour in government helps shape Britain as a modern, more compassionate country.
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Andrew Pakes is Labour’s parliamentary candidate for Milton Keynes South. He tweets @andrew4mk
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