MPs get fox's backing

How Basil made it into the Commons has staff foxed

You would think that the lowly fox had courted enough controversy in the Commons in recent months without making a personal appearance.

So it was with a degree of surprise that Commons staff found a sleeping fox on a filing cabinet.

Our policy here is to let snoozing foxes lie

Commons official

They have had a variety of animals in parliament lately, whether it was the mouse (or was it a rat?) that livened up a late night Commons debate, or the ducks who regularly choose to breed in the grounds of New Palace Yard.

But the fox was a first and coming so soon after MPs overwhelmingly voted for a ban on hunting with dogs, the thought that must occur is that this was a visit prompted by gratitude.

Brush with Basil

Inevitably the stray creature has been nicknamed Basil after the infamous puppet and hero from the 1970s, Basil Brush.

But less obvious is how this animal managed to bypass the extremely tight House of Commons security.

That has staff, well, foxed.

But somehow this scourge of chickens managed to bluff his way through before climbing three flights of stairs.

MPs often complain about the lack of accommodation at Westminster but this fox had no difficulty in finding an office.

Time for a doze

And after all those exertions he clearly felt like a snooze, choosing the top of a filing cabinet for a make-shift bed.

Caring staff alerted police and the RSPCA who, no doubt, arrived at a fox trot.

Then began the tricky operation of removing this cunning creature without alerting a pack of pro-hunting Lords.

According to a parliamentary official, great lengths were gone to in order to get the fox out without waking him.

"We delayed testing the division bells for more than two hours so as not to wake the fox up, otherwise the RSPCA would have had a tally-ho of a job to remove it.

Let sleeping foxes lie

"Our policy here is to let snoozing foxes lie."

The RSPCA's Michael Balantyne said: "Basil was on the same floor as the Public Bills Office.

"Perhaps he was on his way to thank MPs for voting to outlaw the outdated and cruel so-called sport of hunting with dogs," the animal collection officer ventured.