MPs in the United Kingdom voted to ban wild animals in circuses last night after David Cameron's attempts to bully Conservative backbenchers into voting
against the measure backfired and ended in a humiliating public defeat.
In a decision hailed by campaigners as an "historic victory for animal
welfare and protection", MPs of all parties unanimously backed a ban and
the Government signalled that it would introduce one, ending forever
the days of lions, tigers, elephants and other wild animals in the big
top.
In an act of desperation, Conservative whips had warned they would
impose the most serious parliamentary voting sanction, a three-line
whip, to bring recalcitrant backbenchers to heel and get them to support
the Government's alternative proposal of a licensing system. But in a
victory for The Independent's campaign for a ban and for the long
campaigns waged by animal welfare organisations, Downing Street backed
down when it became apparent that it would lose the vote despite what
backbenchers described as "desperate" measures. One of the three MPs who
brought the cross-party motion for a ban disclosed that he had first
been offered a government job – and then threatened that the Prime
Minister would look "very dimly" on his recalcitrance – unless he
amended or withdrew the motion. Mark Pritchard, a Conservative
backbencher, stood firm and insisted that the measure be voted upon.
As astonished MPs listened, Mr Pritchard said: "Well I have a message
for the whips and for the Prime Minister of our country – and I didn't
pick a fight with the Prime Minister – I may just be a little council
house lad from a very poor background but that background gave me a
backbone. It gives me a thick skin and I'm not going to be cowed by the
whips of the Prime Minister on an issue I feel passionately about and
have conviction about.
"There may be some other people with backbones on this side and they
will speak later, but we need a generation of politicians with a bit of
spine, not jelly. And I will not be bullied by any of the whips."
MPs from all sides of the House including the Liberal Democrat MP Don
Foster, Labour's Nia Griffiths and the Green leader Caroline Lucas
attacked the Government's position, saying that both public and
parliamentary opinion was in support of a ban.
The motion was to "direct" the Government to introduce a ban.
Shortly before the vote, the Animal Welfare minister, Jim Paice,
said: "If at the end of this debate the House were to approve this
motion then of course we will have to respect that."
Animal welfare groups were ecstatic. The RSPCA said: "This is a win
for democracy as well as animal welfare." It said it hoped the
Government would quickly and formally announce a ban.
Animal Defenders International, the group which shot undercover
footage of the beating by a Romanian groom of Anne the elephant at Bobby
Roberts Circus, said: "This debate and vote has exposed the Government
and demonstrated just how out of touch they have been with their peers,
the public, and animal welfare groups."
Mary Creagh, the shadow Environment Secretary, said: "The public will
be absolutely delighted that MPs from all parties have stood up to the
Tory-led Government on this issue to achieve such a fantastic result.
The vote brings to an end 48 hours of chaos and confusion from the
Government about their position on a ban. It is extraordinary that David
Cameron used such bully-boy tactics to threaten his own MPs and tried
to impose a three-line whip on the vote."
The Government had initially planned to ban wild animals from
circuses but the Department of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
was forced to do a U-turn, and instead proposed a licensing system,
after Mr Cameron, a keen hunter and shooter, blocked the move.
Mr Paice blamed a court challenge to a ban in Austria for the
decision, but there was no court challenge and he was forced to admit
during an emergency debate, called because of the misinformation, that
he had misled the Commons. The Government's subsequent claim that a ban
could be challenged under the Human Rights Act or the EU Services
Directive was challenged by lawyers and the European Commission.
The Government and MPs came under intense pressure from voters. More than 32,000 signed The Independent's
online petition calling for the Government to change its mind, and
supporters of the protest group 38 Degrees, which had forced Defra to
abandon plans for its forests sell-off, deluged MPs' offices with
hundreds of emails, letters and phone calls.
During the debate, MPs said the issue was emblematic of wider animal
welfare issues. But the most astonishing contribution came from Mr
Pritchard who had secured the backbench debate, which should have had a
free vote. He said: "On Monday if I offered to amend my motion or drop
my motion or not call a vote on this motion – and we're not talking
about a major defence issue or an economic issue or an issue of
public-sector reform, we're talking about a ban on wild animals in
circuses – I was offered reward and incentive. If I didn't call for a
ban – I was offered a job. Not as a minister, it was a pretty trivial
job.
"Then it was ratcheted up to last night and I was threatened. I had a
call from the Prime Minister's Office directly and I was told unless I
withdrew this motion that the Prime Minister himself would look upon it
'very dimly indeed'."
He told MPs: "It remains a mystery why the Government has mounted
such a concerted operation to stop there being a vote on this motion."
Source: The Independent
"We still have loads of circuses in South Africa who have many wild animals stuck in those terrible caged trailers, forced to do stupid acts that are supposed to make humans laugh. Its going to take a long time for 'this circus' gets its act together to ban WILD animals from our circuses. Making the public more aware that its cruel to have wild animals in circuses is a step in the right direction. ~ ed."
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