Fox hunting left OUT of Queen's Speech as animal rights campaigners remain 'vigilant'
ANIMAL welfare campaigners say they are being extra vigilant to stop the Government introducing fox hunting by the back door.
A manifesto pledge to give MPs a free vote on overturning the Hunting Act was spectacularly dropped from the Queen's Speech today after becoming a toxic election issue for the Tories.
Instead of celebrating the demise of fox hunting, anti blood sport campaigners say they are on guard to resist any attempts to weaken or repeal the hunt ban.
Theresa May's support for fox hunting - although she has never been on a hunt - has been highlighted as one of her major campaigning mistakes, with pre-election polls revealing 78 per cent of voters do not want it to be re-legalised.
We are pleased to see that there is no mention of hunting in the Queen's Speech
Attempts to tamper with 2004 Hunting Act by David Cameron's Government by using Parliamentary procedures spectacularly backfired when it became obvious it would have lost an open vote in the Commons back in 2015.
With as many as 83 Conservtives along with virtually all Labour, LibDems and SNP MPs opposed to blood sports during the last Parliament, hunt supporters were hoping a new intake in the Commons would see the current legislation repealed by the promised "free vote".
Commenting after today's deliberate absence of any mention of hunting in the Queen's Speech, Eduardo Gonçalves, chief executive of the League Against Cruel Sports said: "We are pleased to see that there is no mention of hunting in the Queen's Speech.
"We hope that, following the outcry during the election campaign, Theresa May has now abandoned the manifesto pledge for a free vote on repeal of the Hunting Act.
"The reality is that the ban has overwhelming support from the British public.
"We have no doubt that a vocal minority will continue in their attempts to weaken or repeal the ban - either openly or via the back door.
Theresa May: Fox hunting should be a free vote for parliament
"We therefore remain vigilant and there should be no doubt that we will continue to be the voice speaking up for animals, vigorously opposing any effort to weaken their protection.
"The Government should be clear that what the British people want from them is to get on with the job of improving animal protection, not undermining it."
Conservatives Against Fox Hunting, the so-called Blue Foxes, said it was also remain "on guard" for attempts to weaken the law.
Its founder Lorraine Platt said: "We will remain on our guard as the fox hunting issue was not included in the Queen's Speech after the 2015 General Election but this did not stop the Conservative leadership introducing plans in July 2015 to weaken the ban on hunting with dogs, which were later dropped."
"Fox hunting was always a toxic issue for the Party and, thankfully, commonsense, has prevailed with talk of a free vote completely excluded from the Queen's Speech.
"Whenever we have spoken to supporters on the doorstep, it is an issue that has constantly raised concerns.
"Fox hunting is something that should be confined to the pages of history.
"It has no place on the modern political agenda. There are thousands of things that deserve Parliamentary time rather than this cruel and needless anachronism."
At the Save Me Trust, the organisation set up by rock star Brian May and Anne Brummer, to campaign against fox hunting and badger culling, there was relief that the Tories are aware of public sympathies.
Anne Brummer said: "It's not surprising that Fox Hunting has been omitted from the Queen's Speech, it would have been totally shocking for it to be included. It shows that the Conservative Party is now reflecting public opinion.
"Fox hunting is exactly where it should be: illegal and part of history. Only a mad man or woman would bring that back."
The RSPCA said it was not surprised that fox hunting was left out of the Queen's Speech but it would continue to fight attempts to weaken the current law,
David Bowles, Head of Public Affairs at the RSPCA said: "We are pleased, but not surprised, that an attempt to repeal the Hunting Act didn't make it into the Queen's Speech today.
"We will continue to oppose those who try to repeal or water down the legislation and will urge MPs to hold firm on the issue."