Tories face hunt ban 'firestorm'

HUNT supporters have clashed with the Conservative Party over plans to repeal the controversial hunting ban.

Countryside campaigners have warned of a "firestorm" if the Conservatives fail to force through a flagship Bill to overthrow the controversial ban.

They fear that leader David Cameron is close to reneging on a promise he made last year to throw the full weight of a future Tory government behind repealing the Hunting Act, which makes it illegal to hunt with dogs.

Senior Tory figures told the Sunday Telegraph that the major change in party policy was under active consideration by the Shadow Cabinet.

They feared that a new Conservative government could find itself bogged down in Parliament if it tried to force through the legislation.

One leading hunt supporter said: "There will be a firestorm if it is not a Government Bill."

Earlier this week, Mr Cameron reiterated his determination to hold a Commons vote on overturning the hunting ban if the Conservatives came to power.

Anti-hunting protesters also made their feelings known outside the party's annual conference in Manchester, but Mr Cameron said the ban had been a "farce" since it came into effect in 2005.

He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that MPs would be allowed a free vote on the issue, adding: "That's what democracy is all about."

The Shadow Cabinet member in charge of hunting confirmed that the party was considering the move.

Nick Herbert, the shadow environment secretary, said: "We are working up various options about how we will do a repeal.

"We will give time for a vote on repeal but we have also said we don't intend to waste parliamentary time on this. We haven't said what form repeal would take in terms of a Bill."

A spokesman for the Countryside Alliance appeared to welcome the Tory's stance over a repeal, describing the hunting ban as "a ridiculously bad piece of legislation".

The spokesman said: "The commitment to a free vote has been clear since the last Conservative manifesto and David Cameron himself has talked about that leading to a Government Bill in Government time.

"We think this is the most open and sensible route for getting rid of what everyone accepts is a ridiculously bad piece of legislation and any other option is likely only to complicate what should be a straightforward process."

Last month, an Ipsos/Mori poll for the League Against Cruel Sports found that 76 per cent of people surveyed thought hunting with dogs was cruel and 59 per cent of voters would be less likely to back would-be MPs if they found out they supported hunts.