Tories have not changed attitudes, says Benn

Environment Secretary Hilary Benn is organising an open letter to David Cameron in a further sign Labour will seek to make hunting a major election issue.

Claiming to already have 2,000 signatures for the letter, he accused the Tories of being out of touch and insisted the ban, introduced after an arduous battle in Westminster and criticised as "bad legislation" by civil servants, was the mark of a "modern, civilised society".

It is the latest in a series of attacks by Labour on the Tory plans to allow MPs time for a free vote on repealing the Act if they win the election.

Speaking on the fifth anniversary of the ban coming into force, Mr Benn, MP for Leeds Central, said: "David Cameron's plan to repeal the hunting ban shows that beneath the gloss the Tories haven't changed.

"Five years ago, Labour banned fox hunting, stag hunting and hare coursing because there is no place for animal cruelty in a modern, civilised society. Making animals tear each other apart is cruelty, not sport.

"The ban has worked and has allowed people to continue riding with hunts without the cruelty previously involved.

"In the countryside and the cities a huge majority of people back the ban and none of the pro-hunt lobby's dire predictions have come true.

"David Cameron's personal opposition to the hunting ban, and his appointment of a former pro-hunting lobbyist as his 'animal welfare' spokesperson, reveal how out of touch the Tories are in attempting to repeal such a popular, humane and effective law."

The letter calls on Mr Cameron to drop plans to abolish the ban and make clear if he also plans to repeal the ban on stag hunting and hare coursing.

The Bill was recently cited by senior Whitehall mandarins as an example of bad legislation.