Tories 'giving green light to puppy smugglers' face demand to reverse 'betrayal'
Tory MPs have been warned they'll be giving a green light to puppy smugglers, puppy farmers and pet thieves if they don't reverse a cruel animal welfare "betrayal".
They face a crunch vote on reviving a flagship Bill, which would have introduced new laws on animal welfare and outlawed puppy smuggling, after scrapping it last month.
In a scathing letter, Labour has told Conservative MPs that failing to do so will be a conscious choice to allow animal suffering to continue, and yet another betrayal of voters.
Despite it being a Conservative pledge in the 2019 manifesto, Environment Minister Mark Spencer sparked outrage when he confirmed the long-awaited Kept Animals Bill had been ditched three weeks ago.
Jim McMahon, Labour’s Shadow Environment Secretary, wrote to Tory MPs: "To be absolutely clear, if the Government and Tory MPs seek to kill the Kept Animals Bill once again... you will be voting to continue puppy smuggling, puppy farming, pet theft and live animal exports."
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Tory Mark Spencer announced last month that the Kept Animals Bill was being scrapped (AFP via Getty Images)He said Labour is "proud to be the party of animal welfare" and accused Rishi Sunak's Government of a "lack of leadership" on animal welfare.
Mr McMahon wrote: "It’s yet another example of what the public have seen time and time again from the Conservatives. Big promises, but no delivery."
Labour will force a binding vote on reintroducing the Bill on Wednesday, in the hope Parliament can pass it into law next month.
The Bill cleared a major hurdle when it was backed by MPs from all sides in October 2021, but had not progressed any further before it was scrapped.
Mr McMahon said: “The Government’s decision last month to kill off the Kept Animals Bill is proof that you can’t trust the Tories to deliver on animal welfare.
Labour's Jim McMahon has demanded that the legislation is brought back again (Getty Images)“That’s why Labour is today bringing back this important piece of legislation which will end live exports of farm animals and target the criminals involved in puppy smuggling and dog thefts."
During last summer's Tory leadership campaign, Mr Sunak pledged to champion the legislation, with his team saying it "will bring in some of the world's strongest protection for pets, livestock and kept wild animals".
The U-turn has sparked disquiet among Conservatives, with backbencher Andrea Jenkyns - a junior minister in Liz Truss's short-lived Government - launching a petition calling on ministers to think again.
And senior Tory MP Tracey Crouch said there had been "an unforgivable delay on the whole Bill, which is completely unacceptable".
The Mirror is campaigning to ban puppy imports and in 2021 thousands of readers signed a petition demanding a block. We want the import age of pups raised from 15 weeks to six months.
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Responding to the decision to scrap the Bill, the RSPCA said: "While politicians dither, animals suffer."
It added: “We are frustrated and disappointed that, despite overwhelming public support, the Government has delayed and delayed and has now broken up the Bill, leading to yet more uncertainty and lost time."
David Bowles, the RSPCA’s head of public affairs, said: “Enacting this legislation has no downsides: it would make a seismic difference for animals, and the UK Government would also gain lots of ‘Brownie Points’, demonstrating that it is listening to the country.
”The Kept Animals Bill must be revived so that practices such as the live exports of animals for slaughter and the cruel puppy import trade become consigned to history as soon as possible."
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