Rishi Sunak is facing a potential headache as backbench Conservative MPs prepare to support a Labour plan to bring back ditched animal welfare policies.
Last month, ministers announced they were dropping the kept animals bill, which was part of the Tories’ 2019 manifesto. The legislation was intended to ban live exports of farm animals as well as clamp down on puppy smuggling and dog theft.
Now, Labour is bringing back the government’s legislation unchanged in an opposition day motion on Wednesday to set aside parliamentary time on 12 July for the animal welfare (kept animals) bill to pass all stages and become law.
Conservative sources said the bill was dropped over fears it would be used to crack down on the keeping of hunting dogs, which could have angered influential lobby groups and Tory donors.
Members of the Conservative Animal Welfare Foundation, which counts MPs including the former environment secretary Theresa Villiers, Henry Smith and Sir Roger Gale among its members, are expected to vote in favour of the bill, which had widespread support in the Commons.
MP Andrea Jenkyns spoke out last month when the government shelved the bill and has launched a parliamentary petition calling for it to be brought back. It is understood that a number of Conservative backbenchers are planning to speak in favour of the motion, in an attempt to force the government to put its own animal welfare legislation back on the table and avoid a Labour victory.
The shadow environment secretary, Jim McMahon, has written to Conservative MPs asking for their support and stating: “To be absolutely clear, if the government and Tory MPs seek to kill the kept animals bill once again by either blocking the opposition day motion or the progress of the bill, you will be voting to continue puppy smuggling, puppy farming, pet theft and live animal exports.”
The Boris Johnson government had promised a revamp of animal welfare laws in the UK, using so-called “Brexit freedoms” to ban foie gras and fur imports, as well as passing the kept animals bill.
However, successive governments have been less keen on these measures, with the environment secretary, Thérèse Coffey, having claimed there is not parliamentary time to ban fur and foie gras imports, and there has been a long delay in passing the kept animals bill, which was introduced into the Commons more than a year ago.
McMahon said: “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.”
The government is aiming to quash fears by bringing back some aspects of the bill as separate laws. On Tuesday, ministers announced they would be bringing in a law to ban primates as pets.
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.”
