Former Adviser Claims Blair Accepted £1 Million Donation Before Fox Hunt Ban
According to Lord Mandelson, the former prime minister’s closest political confidant, former Prime Minister Sir Tony Blair was pressured into banning fox hunting after taking a £1 million donation from animal welfare activists. Lord Mandelson made the comments during an interview with Times Radio on Tuesday. He noted that an organization, which was a fund to help animals, demanded a ban in return for a large sum of money. Sir Tony was “reluctant” to engage in a “sort of trade” over this policy, but faced pressure from many people in the party who wanted the ban and were demanding it. Lord Mandelson said it was “under duress, but under some sort of pressure.” However, he also stated that it was the first and last time he could remember such an incident.
The Epoch Times was not able to verify Lord Mandelson’s claim, though he was Sir Tony’s closest political confidant and ally. He did not name the organization.
The Epoch Times reached out to IFAW and the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change for their comments.
“He [Lord Mandelson] is clearly saying there were a lot of people who had passionate views on the subject,” she added.
Fox Hunting
The Hunting Act of 2004 was born to outlaw traditional hunting with dog packs over accusations of animal cruelty. The law controls the hunting of wild mammals with dogs. The Exemptions allow the use of two dogs to flush out mammals for various legitimate reasons. There have been over 573 successful prosecutions under the legislation from 2005 to 2021.
When it was banned many in the hunting community claimed it was never about animal welfare but rather a class war on countryside living, with fox hunting synonymous with aristocracy.
Reacting to the news, Tim Bonner, chief executive of the Countryside Alliance, which opposed the hunting ban, told The Epoch Times by email, “Tony Blair has already admitted that the hunting ban was one of the legislative measures he most regrets.”
He added: “The Hunting Act has failed at every level, not least in the damage it has caused to the countryside and biodiversity. A future Labour government should right the wrongs of the past and remove this running sore in Labour’s relationship with rural communities.”
Simon Veazey contributed to this report.
