Hanging proudly on the wall of my Gloucester office is a certificate I received from the League Against Cruel Sport, for voting for the 2004 Hunting Act.  Often described as simply a “ban on fox hunting”, this Act actually outlawed the incredibly cruel practice of setting hounds on foxes or stags for “sport” as well as banning mink hunting and hare coursing.  The actual process of fox hunting, following a trail with horses, is thriving now that the unnecessarily cruel element has been removed.

I’m convinced that I made the right decision.  Before the vote I spent a whole day with the Cotswold Hunt and spoke to many farmers in the area.  It became clear that there are far more effective ways of controlling foxes than through a cruel ‘sport’ that results in a mammal being torn limb from limb.

I also listened to the views of people in Gloucester, and found the vast majority of people supported the Ban.  Recent polls show overwhelming support for the Hunting Act.  75% of the public support the ban on fox hunting, 84% support the ban on deer hunting and 85% support the ban or hare coursing.  This is because the ban is working, with 56 successful convictions under the Act already.

It took a lot of parliamentary time to successfully introduce the Hunting Act, perhaps too much time, but it would be madness, particularly as we seek to secure our country’s economic recovery, to waste even more time unpicking it.

Incredibly this is what the Conservatives want to do.  David Cameron spoke up for fox hunting in his first ever speech to Parliament and has pledged to dedicate Government time to a bill abolishing the Ban, if the Tories were to win the next General Election.

I will always back the majority of people in Gloucester who want to keep this unnecessary and cruel practice in the dustbin of history.  Unfortunately the same cannot be said of my Conservative opponent in Gloucester.  As was reported in the pages of this newspaper back in June, he has close links to the Heythrop Hunt and has used them to deliver his leaflets throughout Gloucester.  I challenge him to back Gloucester rather than the hunting fraternity, and pledge to oppose any overturn of the Ban.

Parmjit Dhanda MP

Member of Parliament for Gloucester