Starmer warned by senior party figures that hunting ban would hit rural vote

Senior Labour figures have joined a backlash over Sir Keir Starmer’s plans to eliminate fox hunting, warning the crackdown is “misguided” and could cost him the rural vote.

Baroness Mallalieu, the Labour peer, urged Sir Keir to abandon his proposals to tighten the existing ban, while Baroness Hoey, a former Labour MP and sports minister, said there were more “urgent matters” to be dealt with.

Lord Blunkett, who served as home secretary under Sir Tony Blair, also questioned the need for further action, suggesting there may be more pressing issues at hand.

Labour has vowed to toughen the Hunting Act by closing certain “loopholes” that allow variations of the sport to continue, such as trail hunting, where dogs follow a pre-laid scent rather than a wild animal.

Steve Reed, the shadow environment secretary, confirmed the policy as he launched a charm offensive for the rural vote, insisting it was something country people wanted to see.

Manipulating rural issues to appeal to urban base

But Baroness Mallalieu, who is also president of the Countryside Alliance, accused her colleagues of manipulating rural issues to appeal to their urban base.

She told The Telegraph: “Many in my party remain obsessed with the pursuit of hunting at a huge cost to Labour’s standing in the countryside and the country as a whole.

“It is impossible not to conclude that it would be of great advantage to both the Labour Party and the countryside if hunting were to be removed from the political agenda. Imagine if as much energy had been expended on issues that could really make a difference for rural communities.

“Labour needs to engage with rural communities and focus on what matters to them, not simply manipulate rural issues in the belief that it will appeal further to its urban base. Labour will not be taken seriously in the countryside until its priorities match those of people in rural constituencies.”

Act of class warfare

Introduced by Sir Tony’s administration, the 2004 Act was seen by many as an act of class warfare rather than an attempt to improve animal welfare.

In his memoir, A Journey, the former prime minister voiced regret about the hunting ban and its effect on rural communities.

The Tories previously pledged to give MPs a chance to repeal it with a free vote, but this was dropped in Boris Johnson’s 2019 manifesto.

Labour may feel emboldened to make more controversial announcements by its commanding lead in the polls, sitting around 20 points ahead of the Conservatives.

But Baroness Hoey said Sir Keir would be “misguided” to prioritise a crackdown.

She told The Telegraph: “I would have thought an incoming Labour government would not want to repeat the hundreds of hours spent 20 years ago in Parliament on the Hunting Act.

“With so many urgent matters needing to be dealt with, any Labour government who sees closing loopholes and stopping drag hunting as a priority will be very misguided. Even Tony Blair admitted banning hunting was the act he regretted most as it showed a lack of understanding of the countryside.”

Asked for his view on Sir Keir’s plans, Lord Blunkett said: “If there’s a problem with the existing law, we should fix it.

“But if there isn’t a major problem in relation to drag hunting then I would have thought that the police and the justice system have got big enough problems at the moment, without giving this any priority.”

Far more important matters in rural communities

It comes as pro-hunting campaigners have heavily criticised the proposals, warning Mr Reed risks “destroying a traditional way of life for rural communities”.

Olly Hughes, from the British Hound Sports Association (BHSA) said: “It simply isn’t true that rural voters want to ban trail hunting, which is a well regulated legal activity that provides cohesion in the countryside for often marginalised communities.

“There are far more important matters in rural communities that should be the focus of Labour policy, not a culture war masquerading as an attempt to improve animal welfare. We would urge Steve Reed and other senior members of the Labour Party to meet with us before destroying a traditional way of life for rural communities across the nation.”

Sir Robert Goodwill, Tory chairman of the Commons Environment Committee, accused Sir Keir of throwing “red meat” to the “Corbynites”.

“It’s obvious that they’re still listening to their urban, Left-wing supporters, and this policy has more to do with Islington than it does… the countryside,” he said.

The current law makes it an offence to hunt wild animals with dogs. But it is still legal to lay trails using artificial scents.

This tends to take two forms: trail hunting and drag hunting. In the former, an animal-based trail, such as fox urine, is laid ahead of the event and kept secret from huntsmen and hounds, to mimic a traditional hunt. It became popular after fox hunting was banned in 2004.

But critics claim the practice is a smokescreen for the real thing. In many cases, they allege no trail is laid at all, with dogs encouraged to pick up a live scent instead.

The latter is less controversial. In drag hunting, packs chase a non-animal scent, traditionally aniseed, laid over a pre-determined course of obstacles known to the huntsmen.

Labour wants to ban both. The BHSA said this exposed a “complete lack of understanding” about the different activities, while the Countryside Alliance insisted neither sport involves the pursuit of a wild animal.