It is widely accepted that the ban on fox hunting will be reviewed by the Conservatives if (when) they win this year’s general election.
Labour’s Environment Secretary Hilary Benn has claimed that David Cameron will make repealing the ban “a priority” on taking up office, but Brighton’s conservatives do not appear to share this viewpoint.
Charlotte Vere, the Conservative candidate for Brighton Pavilion, has publicly stated that she stands on the side of keeping the ban intact.
On her blog, Ms Vere said: “A few days after being selected as the Parliamentary Candidate for Brighton Pavilion, I was asked to sign up to Vote Cruelty Free. Although foxhunting is a minor issue on the doorstep, compared with say the desperate state of our economy or our disgraceful national debt, I believe that the majority of people in Brighton Pavilion do not support a repeal of the Hunting Act. So, I signed up.”
She also confirmed that her colleagues in Brighton Kemptown (Simon Kirby) and Hove and Portslade (Mike Weatherley) have also signed up.
The Hunting Act was launched in 2005 but has only resulted in a handful of prosecutions. It allows for the hunting of a fox’s scent with dogs but not the killing of the animal.