The government has been accused of an 'astonishing betrayal' after scrapping its flagship animal welfare bill over fears it would be forced into a vote on hunting
However Claire Bass, of Humane Society International/UK, said the bill"needed only a few more hours in the Commons to succeed, so parliamentary time is clearly not the real issue here".
"We'll of course back delivery of these commitments as private members' bills, but this is a high-risk strategy, and indicative of the low priority the government now evidently places on animal welfare." Jim McMahon, the shadow environment secretary, said pulling the plug on the legislation"is further proof that you can't trust the Tories to deliver on animal welfare".The Conservative Animal Welfare Foundation, made up of influential Tory figures including Carrie Johnson and Zac Goldsmith, called the decision to scrap the bill a"missed opportunity" to enhance protections.