The parliamentary group on animal welfare has accepted the findings of a report by organisations including animal welfare groups and the Association of Circus Owners.

Tory chairman Roger Gale said: "There is no place whatsoever for performing wild animals in circuses and we should move as quickly as possible to a situation where we do not use wild animals in circuses."

Mr Gale said lions, tigers and seals were not born and bred to perform tricks.

"They are not even afforded the same protection as zoo animals and I would like to think that the government will, very quickly, move to, first of all, improve the conditions in which they live but eventually move to phase out their use in circuses all together," he said.

The RSPCA has responded with "delight" at the statement made by MPs on Tuesday and will now be lobbying the government to get the law changed.

Few circuses in the UK still use wild animals in their acts.

When asked, Chipperfields Circus, which uses big cats in some of their performances refused to comment on the MPs calls for changes in the law.

The report, which also recommends better conditions for zoo animals, took two years to produce.