Tories foxed by Livingstone

Ken Livingstone: Hoping to ban the hunting of mammals

Angry scenes broke out in the House of Commons after Labour MPs succeeded in scuppering Tory legislation in favour of left-wing MP Ken Livingstone's bill to ban fox hunting.

Tory MPs were outraged after Iain Duncan Smith's private member's bill to reduce government powers was dropped from business after it was found that not enough of its supporters were in the chamber.

As a result Mr Livingstone's bill, the next in line, was debated instead.

Former Tory minister Douglas Hogg lead the cries of outrage, claiming that democracy was being undermined by "scandal and a contrivance".

Parliamentary device

As Friday's parliamentary business began, Labour MP Andrew Dismore moved that the Commons sit in private session.

The move, hardly ever used by MPs, was defeated by 30 votes to nil.

But Commons Speaker Betty Boothroyd swiftly announced that parliamentary rules stated that with fewer than 40 MPs having voted, the first business of the day should stand over to another sitting.

Nine out of ten hares get away

Mr Duncan Smith whose Government Powers (Limitations) Bill had been the first on the list for debate, complained: "A very serious bill has been deliberately moved so that one man's political ambitions may be advanced by use of this House."

But the Brent East MP and independent candidate for Mayor of London denied that he had hatched any "plot" to advance his Bill.

"I had absolutely no idea," said Mr Livingstone to loud Tory jeering. "Although I did assume that the strangest things can happen in this place and made certain I was in my office by 9.10am this morning."

During the following debate on Mr Livingstone's bill, Mr Hogg launched a verbal assault on the left-winger.

He cast doubt on the sincerity of the MP's support for a ban on hunting.

Mr Hogg, who admitted to having been "a keen beagler" in his youth, said: "This debate is being brought by the honourable member for Brent in order to further his own political ambitions"

Foxes killed Mr Livingstone's tortoise in London

Further controversy was sparked when Mr Livingstone, broke parliamentary convention when he briefly left the chamber during the reply to his bill.

But introducing the Wild Animals (Hunting with Dogs) Bill Mr Livingstone said: "One hundred thousand foxes, hares and deer are torn apart by dogs each year.

"That is the scale of the totally unnecessary cruelty and suffering which is rejected by the vast majority of British people."

Wild animals

The Brent East MP, expelled from Labour for running against Frank Dobson for London mayor, added: "I have foxes in my garden, and it has been a matter of some amusement in the media that one of them bit the head of one of my tortoises.

"I've no illusions, these are wild animals, they hunt themselves.

"But we aren't wild animals we can make a conscious choice about the degree of cruelty and pain that we impose on other human beings and the on the wild life we have on these islands with us."

Mr Livingstone told MPs that he didn't believe that believe that foxes were any less worthy of protection than "the pet dogs that millions of people keep and cherish in this country".

The government has set up an inquiry under Lord Burns to assess the possible affects of a possible ban on hunting on the rural economy and jobs.

The committee is due to report in the summer and Mr Livingstone said he would work with government whips to ensure its findings would be taken into account.