Hove MP fronts campaign against hunting (From The Argus)

Hove MP fronts campaign against hunting

7:40am Thursday 6th October 2011 in News

A Conservative MP has risked the wrath of his party colleagues by fronting a campaign against fox hunting.

Mike Weatherley said he would oppose any attempt to repeal the ban on what he said was a “cruel and immoral” sport.

He also broke ranks on the Government’s decision to introduce a cull on badgers to combat the spread of Bovine TB.

The Hove MP was speaking at a fringe event at the Conservative Party conference in Manchester organised by the League Against Cruel Sports, whose speaker was heckled by Tory activists as he described his organisation’s enforcement action monitoring hunts.

Mr Weatherley said he was in favour of shooting and fishing, and accepted people believed fox numbers should be limited.

But he said: “We should not do it in a way that I consider to be cruel and immoral.”

Hunting with dogs was banned in 2004 under the previous Labour government, with Sussex MPs including Andrew Tyrie, Sir Peter Bottomley, Francis Maude and Nick Gibb all opposing the ban at the time.

Prime Minister David Cameron promised Parliament a free vote on whether to repeal the ban, but nothing has happened so far on the politically sensitive matter.