Animal lovers hail Conservative manifesto pledge to abandon revival of fox-hunting

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Get our free View from Westminster email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Andy Knott, chief executive of LACS, said: “While this pledge does not go anywhere near as far as Labour’s promises to strengthen the Hunting Act, it is nevertheless a significant step for the party and for the countryside. “Animal welfare is an issue that can bring a country back together, united against hunting and other forms of animal cruelty, and it speaks volumes when a party that has spent the last 14 years loudly promising to overturn the hunting ban changes its position in this way.” Politicians are now competing for the animal supporters’ vote. Labour, which has a 50-point animal welfare plan, last week announced it would double the number of police officers responsible for enforcing the hunting ban and investigations into other wildlife crime. The Tory manifesto also pledges tougher sentences for animal cruelty after a bill on sentencing was lost when parliament was prorogued; a crackdown on illegal smuggling of puppies; cat microchipping rules; new laws on animal sentience; a ban on keeping primates as pets; and a ban on all ivory sales – though antiques dealers are challenging this last one in court.