Reform and Tories ‘defending cruelty’ over assist for path searching
The Reform UK leader Nigel Farage was pictured at a hunt on Friday, as was Tory MP Kevin Hollinrake, despite foxes still often being torn to shreds by dogs at the events
Reform and the Tories have been accused of defending “cruelty” after representatives of both parties attended trail hunts on Boxing Day.
Nigel Farage was pictured at a hunt on Friday, as was Tory MP Kevin Hollinrake, despite foxes still often being torn to shreds by dogs at the events. Trail hunting sees a scent laid out for the hunt to follow rather than a real animal, and was introduced as a replacement for fox hunting, which was banned by Labour in 2004.
Labour has vowed to ban the cruel practice as part of its Animal Welfare Strategy, as part of its long-awaited package of policies to improve the lives of pets and animals on farms and in the wild. Animal welfare activists have long criticised the practice as a smokescreen for hunting wild animals.
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Responding to the politicians backing the hunt, Labour MP Luke Charters MP accused both Reform and the Tories of abandoning working people. He said: “The reality is Reform and the Conservatives stopped listening to working people a long time ago, and now they’re too busy defending hunts and chasing cruelty to notice. While Farage and the Tories focus on defending hunts often used as a smokescreen for killing wild animals, Labour is bringing our laws into the 2020s to improve animal welfare practices.
“And that’s of course alongside what we’re doing to deliver on working people’s priorities: cutting the cost of living, reducing waiting lists and bringing about the change Britain voted for last year. Farage and the Tories are simply out of touch.”
Hunt supporters have vowed to fight the plan to ban trail hunting with thousands gathering to watch the traditional Boxing Day meetings. Emma Slawinksi, CEO, League Against Cruel Sports, claimed the trail hunters had brought the ban on themselves. She said: “The hunts have had two decades and hundreds of thousands of opportunities to show the country that trail hunting complies with a law that was laid down to protect wildlife from being hunted by dogs. They have systematically failed.
“Rural communities know, the police know, the courts know and the politicians know that trail hunting is nothing but a smokescreen for old fashioned illegal hunting. The Government’s forthcoming ban on trial hunting is therefore no-one’s fault but the hunts’ themselves.”
