Selaine Saxby MP, has signed an open letter from Henry Smith MP to the Prime Minister, urging the Government to enact the 2019 Conservative Party manifesto commitment to ban trophy hunting imports.
66 MPs and Peers have signed the letter following the Hunting Trophies (Import Prohibition) Bill falling in the House of Lords as a result of delaying tactics from a number of Peers. The letter urges the Prime Minister to bring a Government Bill without further delay.
A 2021 poll conducted on behalf of the Banning Trophy Hunting APPG found that 85% of the public agreed that the UK government should ban trophy hunters from bringing back trophies of hunted animals as soon as possible.
Selaine Saxby, MP for North Devon said:
“I’m delighted to have signed Henry Smith’s letter to call on the Prime Minister to ban trophy hunting imports. It was a privilege to speak in the Second Reading in support of this Bill last year and highlight how trophy hunting is leading to the destruction of our natural world.
“I know how important this issue is to the people of North Devon with over 60 residents having written to me directly to support the Bill. I believe that by preventing the import of these trophies, the UK Government is echoing the will of the British people and backing communities around the world who are turning to more sustainable forms of tourism.
“Following this Bill falling as a result of House of Lords delaying tactics, I am calling on the Prime Minister to enact the manifesto commitment he stood on at the last General Election and asking him to introduce a Government bill to make the ban on trophy hunting imports become a reality and help protect the world’s threatened species.”
Henry Smith MP said:
"I’m very grateful that Selaine has signed this open letter to the Prime Minister calling for the Government to introduce its own bill, following the support of ministers for my own Hunting Trophies (Import Prohibition) Bill.
“The Hunting Trophies (Import Prohibition) Bill was approved by the House of Commons earlier this year. It was not in fact defeated in the House of Lords – rather it fell as a result of parliamentary procedure following the use of delaying tactics.
“Let us do right by our constituents, have the debate in both Houses, and work to get this manifesto commitment on the statute book.”
The Bill passed second reading in the House of Commons in November 2022, and passed committee stage in January 2023. On 17th March 2023 the Bill passed third reading, completing its passage through the Commons. On 16th June, the Bill passed second reading in the House of Lords, with committee stage commencing on 12th September.
Given there will be no further parliamentary time for this Private Members’ Bill, fell when Parliament was prorogued ahead of the State Opening on 7th November; leading parliamentarians to call on ministers to go further and introduce a Government Bill.
