Emma joined with former Queen guitarist Brian May and the rest of Team Fox in Parliament on Monday (6 July) to oppose the Tories’ plans to bring back fox hunting.
Prime Minister David Cameron has announced that MPs will be given a vote on an amendment to the Hunting Act next Wednesday (15 July). The changes will once again make hunting legal as long as the number of dogs used is “appropriate” and the hunt is carried out to protect livestock or protected birds.
These conditions are designed to be vague enough that it will be easy to justify the vast majority of hunts.
Emma has pledged to vote against the Tories’ plans and keep the ban.
The Hunting Act passed by Labour in 2004 banned the hunting of foxes, deer and hares using dogs, while continuing to allow more humane forms of hunting such as the use of artificial trails. The Act has resulted in over 400 prosecutions, and the ban continues to have overwhelming public support. A recent poll showed that eight out of ten people opposed repealing the Act.
Brian May’s animal rights charity, the Save Me Trust, campaigns against animal cruelty in all its forms. Brian is also vice-president of the RSPCA.
Speaking after her meeting with Brian May and Team Fox, Emma said:
“I’m proud that the last Labour Government was able to pass the Hunting Act, and I’ll fight to defend it. There’s no place in Britain for this kind of cruelty to animals, and I will be voting against the Tories’ plans on Wednesday.
“It is appalling that at a time when our country faces so many serious challenges, this is one of the first priorities of the new Tory majority Government. It shows just how out of touch the Tories are with the values of the majority of British people.”