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| David Cameron drops plans to relax fox hunting ban after SNP vowed to inflict first government defeat | David Cameron drops plans to relax fox hunting ban after SNP vowed to inflict first government defeat |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| David Cameron has dropped plans to relax the fox hunting ban after the Scottish nationalists vowed to vote against the move and inflict an embarrassing first defeat on the government. | David Cameron has dropped plans to relax the fox hunting ban after the Scottish nationalists vowed to vote against the move and inflict an embarrassing first defeat on the government. |
| MPs were due to be given a free vote on proposals to lift the limit of two hounds allowed on a hunt for pest control and research purposes on Wednesday but the Government decided to postpone it until a later date as it became clear that it would lose the vote. | MPs were due to be given a free vote on proposals to lift the limit of two hounds allowed on a hunt for pest control and research purposes on Wednesday but the Government decided to postpone it until a later date as it became clear that it would lose the vote. |
| Labour, who urged the SNP to take part in the vote despite its tradition to abstain on issues that do not affect Scotland, said it showed a government that was "running scared". | |
| Nicola Sturgeon held a meeting with her party’s 56 MPs in Westminster last night, deciding to break with their convention of not voting on issues that do not affect Scotland. | Nicola Sturgeon held a meeting with her party’s 56 MPs in Westminster last night, deciding to break with their convention of not voting on issues that do not affect Scotland. |
| It meant the government was heading towards its first defeat of the new Parliament, with its slender majority of 12 set to be wiped out as up to 30 Tory MPs were expected to join the vast majority of Labour's 232 MPs to defy the Prime Minister and vote against the relaxation of the ban. | |
| Mr Cameron is expected to return to the issue after it passes its plans for English Votes for English Laws, which would shut out Scottish MPs from voting at certain stages of legislation on English-only laws. | Mr Cameron is expected to return to the issue after it passes its plans for English Votes for English Laws, which would shut out Scottish MPs from voting at certain stages of legislation on English-only laws. |
| Maria Eagle, Labour’s shadow environment secretary, said: "David Cameron is now running scared because he knew he was going to lose the vote on fox hunting. | |
| "The Government’s proposed changes to the Hunting Act have become a shambles. This has nothing to do with ‘pest control’ - it is a shabby attempt to repeal a successful piece of animal welfare legislation by the back-door.” |