COUNTRYSIDE campaigners have warned Sir Keir Starmer against trying to cancel Boxing Day hunts.
They say the Labour chief risks stoking a toxic culture war if his party repeats past attacks on rural life.
1
Tens of thousands will go trail hunting from 11am on Boxing Day. But anti-hunt groups claim it is a smokescreen for illegal hunting.
In the 2019 election, Labour vowed to crack down on all hunts and close loopholes that allow dogs to kill foxes for sport.
Tim Bonner, of the pro-hunting Countryside Alliance, said Labour’s long-running feud with hunting has led to voters not taking the party seriously — and referred to Sir Keir as the “elephant in the countryside”.
Mr Bonner added: “He rightly talks about a future Labour government having respect for rural communities, but that needs to be more than just a catchphrase. We need to see action.
READ MORE ON KEIR STARMER
“Ultimately, the countryside doesn’t want to have to have a fight over hunting again, but it will not sit back and allow itself to be bullied and become victim to a toxic culture war.”
This year ex-Labour cabinet minister Lord Mandelson admitted Tony Blair’s foxhunting ban was one of the policies he most regrets.
Baroness Kate Hoey, who left the party in 2019, said: “Labour needs rural seats to win a majority. A war on the countryside, as past experience has shown, contributes to electoral defeat, not victory.”
