DAILY EXPRESS
1 July 2015 by Stuart Winter
ROCK legend Brian May is optimistic that “wonderful” rainbow coalition of MPs will defeat attempts to bring back fox hunting.
The Queen guitarist says there is now a “good chance” that a bid to bring back the controversial blood sport to the countryside will be defeated.
He spoke of his increasing belief that fox hunting will be confined to the history books on the day he launched a coalition of animal welfare organisations – Team Fox – to fight the Hunting Act’s repeal.
Although pro-hunting Prime Minister David Cameron had made an election pledge to hold a free vote for MPs on bringing back hunting with dogs that would see stags and hares as well as foxes killed, there appears to a fading appetite among both the new intake of Tory MPs as well as party veterans for a return.
Up to 50 Tories could vote against any move to repeal the decade hold Hunting Act with an equal number abstaining.
After meeting Conservative MPs in the Commons, May spoke exclusively to Express Nature about his growing belief that attempts to bring back fox hunting will be defeated.
He says: “At the moment, and I am surprised I am saying this, but I feel optimistic. After the last election, the first reaction we had as animal campaigners was we had a lost a lot of friends. What we did not realise was that we made a lot of friends as well. We have wonderful MPs in the House from all parties.
“In short, I feel very optimistic. We have some wonderful people in the House and we have a very good chance if a vote comes up for a return to blood sports as David Cameron promised, then the result would be in favour of keeping the ban.”