Where the Tories and Labour stand on animal welfare
Labour reveals 50 proposals including banning foie gras and giving tenants the legal right to keep pets
The Labour party has unveiled a 50-point plan for inclusion in a new animal welfare bill as it seeks to capitalise on a perceived weakness in the Conservative party.
The opposition’s wish-list reads like a “Jeremy Corbyn policy manifesto from his 2015 leadership bid” and includes extending the definition of an animal to cover “cephalopods” like squid and forcing landlords to let tenants keep a pet unless there’s “evidence” it’s a nuisance, says HuffPost’s Paul Waugh.
“It’s a measure of how seriously Corbyn is now taken, and of how much the public care about the issue, that no newspaper today has mocked the Claws Four plans,” Waugh adds.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The Sun leads on cheaper vet care for poorer families, while the Financial Times takes on the proposed ban on foie gras. The Daily Telegraph highlights the proposal to give renters the right to have a pet, while The Times highlights the plan to force motorists to report when they have hit a cat.
Describing the proposals as “a smart move” The Guardian’s Abi Wilkinson believes Labour’s focus on animal welfare could see the party win new support. But not everyone is convinced.
“By using animal rights for political capital, Labour runs the risk of denigrating political debate,” says The Independent’s Kirsty Major. “Let’s talk about animal rights once we’ve secured fundamental human rights.”
Is this a smart move for Labour?
Labour may be hoping to upstage Environment Secretary Michael Gove who has made a series of animal welfare announcements to woo younger voters, says The Times.
Gove has proposed a raft of animal welfare policies to repair damage incurred to the Conservative party during the general election campaign. The Tories dropped their pledge for a total ban on ivory trading and Theresa May has wobbled ever since about whether fox hunting should remain illegal.
A report about Tories voting that animals “could not feel pain or emotions” sparked an intense social media backlash. Gove published a draft bill recognising animals, including wild ones, as sentient. The bill was seen to rule out any possibility of reversing the fox-hunting ban.
Shadow Environment Secretary Sue Hayman has been withering about Gove’s conversion to the cause of tackling plastic in the seas after he said he was “haunted” by watching Blue Planet II.
She told HuffPost that Labour’s strong track record contrasts with the Tories’ recent announcements: “Unlike Michael Gove, we’re not swayed to develop policy after the last BBC documentary we’ve seen. The Tories so-called commitment to animal welfare is as disposable as the coffee cups Gove wants to replace.”
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
'Voters know Biden and Trump all too well'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
Is the Gaza war tearing US university campuses apart?
Today's Big Question Protests at Columbia University, other institutions, pit free speech against student safety
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
DOJ settles with Nassar victims for $138M
Speed Read The settlement includes 139 sexual abuse victims of the former USA Gymnastics doctor
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Will Aukus pact survive a second Trump presidency?
Today's Big Question US, UK and Australia seek to expand 'game-changer' defence partnership ahead of Republican's possible return to White House
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Britain's biggest political donors
The Explainer With the 2024 general election set to be the highest-spending contest ever we look at who is giving to which party and why
By The Week UK Published
-
It's the economy, Sunak: has 'Rishession' halted Tory fightback?
Today's Big Question PM's pledge to deliver economic growth is 'in tatters' as stagnation and falling living standards threaten Tory election wipeout
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
What will £28bn green investment U-turn cost Labour?
Today's Big Question Dropping flagship pledge 'will confirm workers' scepticism of the endless promises of jam tomorrow', said union leader
By The Week UK Published
-
Why your local council may be going bust
The Explainer Across England, local councils are suffering from grave financial problems
By The Week UK Published
-
Rishi Sunak and the right-wing press: heading for divorce?
Talking Point The Telegraph launches 'assault' on PM just as many Tory MPs are contemplating losing their seats
By Keumars Afifi-Sabet, The Week UK Published
-
How many seats do Labour and the Tories need to win?
In depth Changes to constituency boundaries mean Labour needs even bigger swing at next election to form a majority
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
How would a second Trump presidency affect Britain?
Today's Big Question Re-election of Republican frontrunner could threaten UK security, warns former head of secret service
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published