Although the Boxing Day hunt is one of the biggest events of the year for the hunting community, it’s safe to presume that the Christmas cheer at yesterday’s hunt was dampened by reports the Prime Minister is expected to abandon all plans for a free vote to overturn the fox hunting ban. After having to bin the manifesto pledge to bring forward a free vote on the Hunting Act in this parliamentary session, Theresa May is reported to be preparing to go one step further in the new year and announce plans to drop the commitment permanently.
As I write in the i paper today, it was only really a matter of time until the Tories turned their attention to fox-hunting. The Prime Minister’s personal endorsement of the pursuit during the campaign is seen as one of the main factors behind the party’s disappointing result. Although many in the party didn’t spot it at the time, May’s proposal to reintroduce fox hunting with a free vote became the single most viral topic of the election – and not in a good way.
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