Vote-OK
No Change in Conservative Plans
Shadow Rural Affairs Minister Nick Herbert has reassured hunt supporters there has been no change in the Conservative Party's plans to offer a free vote to repeal the Hunting Act 04.
The Sunday Telegraph last weekend quoted "senior Tory figures" discussing plans to overthrow the ban using a private members bill instead of a government bill. An unnamed source told the Sunday Telegraph the shadow cabinet was actively considering the change in policy for fears a new Conservative government could find itself "bogged down" in trying to force through the legislation.
But Vote-OK, the political lobbying organisation formed to help oust anti-hunting MPs in the 2005 general election, has received direct confirmation from Nick Herbert that there has been no change in policy.
A Vote-OK spokesman said: "Nick Herbert, the shadow minister with responsibility for managing the process for repeal, has been in regular touch with Vote-OK and the Countryside Alliance, and stated there is no shift in policy. He has also contacted members of the sporting press to confirm his position."