Labour to force vote on reviving animal welfare Bill

Conservative MPs face a binding vote on whether to bring back the Government’s now-scrapped flagship animal welfare Bill as Labour seeks to force it through Parliament.

The Government said last month that the Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill would not progress, but insisted manifesto commitments would be kept through single-issue legislation.

At the time, animal welfare campaigners accused the Government of a betrayal and of trying to avoid debates on issues such as hunting.

Labour will use an Opposition day debate on Wednesday to force a binding vote in the Commons on a motion which seeks to allocate July 12 as a day to pass the Bill through the House.

Shadow environment secretary Jim McMahon has written to Conservative MPs stating that if they either block the move or the Bill “you will be voting to continue puppy smuggling, puppy farming, pet theft and live animal exports”.

He told Tory MPs they “now have no excuses” and have an “opportunity to put country before party by ensuring that animal welfare is a key priority”.

Announcing the plan, Mr McMahon said: “Whilst the Tories might be split, Labour is proud to be the party of animal welfare.”

He added: “The Kept Animals Bill is hugely important for animal welfare but it’s also vital for delivering trust in politics.

“The Conservatives promised it in their 2019 manifesto and the Prime Minister personally committed to bringing it into law.

“Where the Tories fail to keep their promises, Labour will step in and deliver for the country.”

Environment minister Mark Spencer, when announcing in May that the Bill had been scrapped, put the blame mostly on Labour, saying the Opposition were “clearly determined to play political games by widening the scope of this Bill”.

Mr Spencer said at the time that the Government would use single-issue legislation to keep to commitments on “cracking down on puppy smuggling”, “ban live exports for fattening and slaughter”, and tackle pet abduction and livestock worrying.

A Defra spokesperson said: “The UK is a world leader on animal welfare and we are fully committed to maintaining and enhancing our strong track record to date.

“We are committed to delivering the Kept Animals Bill measures individually during the remainder of this Parliament and look forward to progressing these. We will be setting out next steps in due course.”