Blair ready to force hunting ban

TONY BLAIR is expected to use a Cabinet meeting on Thurs (Sep 9) to present his plan for pushing through a ban on hunting before the election, reports the Daily Telegraph.

The Prime Minister has come under growing pressure from within the Labour Party to ban the sport, forcing him to put aside his own reservations about ending the sport.

The paper reports he is also willing to see “important legislation such as the Children Bill and the Pensions Bill dumped” in order to get the Hunting Bill through the Lords.

Under Mr Blair‘s plan, a Bill will be presented to the House of Commons for a single day during the week starting Mon, Sept 13.

The Bill will then be sent to the Lords, which will have about two days to debate the measure, which has to be passed before the parliamentary session finishes next month.

The Labour Party has also devised a plan to counter any stalling by the Lords who have repeatedly blocked all previous attempts to ban the sport, says the paper.

If Peers allow the legislation through it will become law before the next election – expected next spring – but the ban will not come in to effect until after polling day.