Pressure is growing on Prime Minister David Cameron to hold a vote which could see fox hunting reinstated.
The pursuit of foxes with dogs was banned across England and Wales when the Hunting Act came into force in February, 2005. Hunting was banned in Scotland two years earlier.
However The Sunday Post can reveal Cameron, once a vocal supporter of fox hunting, is under pressure from his back-benchers to enforce a manifesto pledge to hold a free Commons vote on the ban.
The Countryside Alliance, which has been lobbying for the sport to be reintroduced, feels enough MPs will vote in favour of lifting the ban.
They believe just 286 votes are needed to win. The figure is less than half of the 650-member House, because the SNP has said its 56 MPs will not take part, with Plaid Cymru and the Northern Ireland parties expected to follow suit.
The SNP decision to abstain has angered Labour who claim the Nats have made a fundamental u-turn on their promise to stand up to the Tories. Tory MPs are hopeful that there will be a vote in the next 12 months.
The Countryside Alliance believes the ban has had a serious impact on rural communities. They claim it has been “bad for the rural economy, bad for rural communities, bad for animal welfare and a waste of police resources”.
They say there has only a handful of successful convictions under the Hunting Act involving hunts. Instead, 97% of convictions under the Act relate to casual hunting or “poaching”, they say.
A spokesman for the group said: “We are looking forward to the Government delivering its manifesto commitment to a vote on repeal that we think will be won.
“The Hunting Act has been a farce from the start and even Tony Blair has admitted it was a mistake. The new Parliament has an opportunity to right a wrong that was done 10 years ago and we are confident that MPs will take it.”
The gathering momentum has angered opponents.
Chris Pitt, of the League Against Cruel Sports, said: “The public will not stand for the Government bringing forward a vote.”
“The Hunting Act is supported by 80% of the British public and almost 70% of Conservative supporters,” he added.
Writing in the Countryside Alliance’s magazine in March, Cameron said: “People should have the freedom to hunt.”
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