According to a ‘senior Whitehall source’, Theresa May will announce her decision to repeal a manifesto pledge to bring back fox hunting.
The Times has reported that the prime minister will ‘make it clear in an intervention early in the new year that this is no longer a Conservative party policy’ to support fox hunting. It’s speculated that this change of heart is an attempt to ‘rebrand’ the Conservative Party as a caring one.
It’s thought that May’s original stance on fox-hunting may have lost her many young voters with 67% of those surveyed in the lead up to the election believed that that fox hunting should remain illegal.
Previously both May and environment secretary, Michael Gove, have been in support of blood sports. Gove is expected to back the PM in the new year.
This u-turn is likely due to a number of hiccups the present UK government has experienced in the past few months including the confusion and uproar concerning animal welfare in a post-Brexit nation.
British MPs voted against the recognition of animal sentience as part of the EU Withdrawal Bill. Gove has since released a statement reassuring the British public that ‘Animals are sentient beings who feel pain and suffering, so we are writing that principle into law and ensuring that we protect their welfare.’
This post was last modified on December 15, 2020 6:23 am