Ministers to curb Boris’s animal agenda

Boris Johnson is back in the news this week, with Partygate rearing its ugly head once again. And it’s in that spirit of 2021 that Mr S returns to the ill-fated animal crusade which Johnson embraced during his premiership, as part of his bid to rebrand Brexit as an eco-cause. There was the Animal Sentience Act, the Net Zero agenda and, of course, the ill-fated evacuation of Pen Farthing’s animal sanctuary: a project that has now resumed under the Taliban regime.

But now word reaches Steerpike that ministers are planning to curb one of the outstanding pieces of this green agenda. The Kept Animals Bill – aimed at improving animal welfare in a range of areas – is expected to be pulled shortly for a host of reasons. One source pointed the finger of blame at backbenchers like Sir Roger Gale for pushing their own pet amendments on issues like trail hunting.