‘Labour led the way on animal welfare with its 2004 fox hunting ban. Since the party left office, there has been a years-long gap that has allowed cruel practices to develop’

Boosting animal welfare is in “Labour’s DNA”, as one insider put it to The Mirror this weekend.

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The party’s fox hunting ban in 2004 was one of the Government’s defining policies of the time. But since Labour left office, there has been a years-long gap that has allowed cruel practices to develop.

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Trail hunting, which mimics traditional hunting by following a fox-based scent trail, has been left to continue. The practice – which sees the likes of Nigel Farage join Boxing Day hunts each year – has been branded a smokescreen for hunting, with foxes often still torn to shreds by dogs.

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But Labour – now back in power – are the ones who are closing the loophole. “Delivering better welfare standards for animals at home, on the farm, and in the wild is in Labour’s DNA and is what the British public want,” a Labour source told The Mirror.

“The Animal Welfare Strategy picks up where Labour left off over 15 years ago. We’re delivering on our manifesto promises and doing what the Tories – and, for a brief period, the Lib Dems – failed to do when they were in government.”

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The party’s manifesto vowed to ban trail hunting, puppy farming and the use of snare traps – and now it is putting its money where its mouth is with a landmark Animal Welfare Strategy.

It follows years of failed promises from the Tories, such as a climbdown over plans to ban electric collars for pets. The strategy also sets Labour apart from Reform UK, with Mr Farage today calling ministers “authoritarian control freaks” for banning trail hunting.

While there is a political drive behind Labour’s plans – which is even more relevant with the rise of the Green Party – this is a moral question for them.

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Environment Secretary Emma Reynolds’s visit to a rescue service for dogs and cats in Battersea, London, was a reminder that Britain is a “nation of animal lovers” wanting to support pets who have endured hardship. And sources say ministers’ exposure to the horrors of puppy farming spurred them on to ban the cruel trade.

As well as a moral motivation, the Government also understands the financial necessity of its plans, with dog attacks on sheep and cows costing farmers millions of pounds.

After years of lacklustre action, Labour has shown it is back in Government as the party ready to protect the country’s beloved animals.