Battersea Dogs & Cats Home tougher sentences for animal cruelty campaign

I am a vocal and public backer of the Battersea Dogs & Cats Home’s #NotFunny campaign. Raising minimum sentences for animal cruelty was a Labour manifesto pledge I was proud to stand on in June, and I welcome the government’s decision to finally listen and pledge the same.

My overall voting record on animal welfare since my election proves how seriously I take this issue.

In terms of the EU Withdrawal Bill, I voted for a range of amendments to the bill that would ensure EU directives and statutes on animal welfare protection would be incorporated into British law post-Brexit, including New Clause 30 recognising animal sentience.

Unfortunately, the government defeated these amendments, but I welcome the fact that the continued pressure on the government from the Labour Party and individuals and campaign groups across the UK, on this important issue has forced the Environment Secretary’s hand to release a Written Ministerial Statement pledging to:

“ensure that any necessary changes required to UK law are made in a rigorous and comprehensive way to ensure animal sentience is recognised after we leave the EU”.

I welcome this pledge, and look forward to continuing to work closely with animal welfare campaign groups, constituents and Labour colleagues to keep the pressure up on the government to improve animal welfare standards across Britain. 

I proudly back and continue to lobby the government to adopt Labour’s manifesto pledges to cease the badger cull, promote cruelty free-husbandry, prohibit the third-party sale of puppies and introduce and enforce a total ban on ivory trading and support the maintenance of the bans on wild animals in circuses, fox and deer hunting, and hare coursing; I am also pleased to be active in a range of parliamentary activities and campaigns to improve animal welfare standards.

I met with a range of animal welfare groups at Party Conference, who keep me up to date and brief me on various upcoming debates, votes, EDMs and motions in Parliament, so that I am always well prepared for any opportunity to stand up for animal welfare in Westminster.

I have proudly signed a range of EDMs stating public support for animal welfare and the rights of animals across the UK and the globe. I signed EDM 25 calling on the Government to maintain and strengthen the Hunting Act 2004 and EDM 437 titled ‘Ending cosmetics animal testing globally’. I have also signed EDM 345 calling on the Government to guarantee that EU bans on the import of cat and dog fur, and EDM 412 noting that tens of thousands of animals are transported long distances from the UK in cramped conditions every year; that these animals may then be exported further to countries beyond the EU with minimal welfare rules for slaughter; and welcoming the potential for a ban on the live export of animals after the UK has left the EU.

In terms of the protection of our bees, which are crucial for our ecosystem and agriculture, I was delighted to campaign alongside hundreds of constituents, 38Degrees and Greenpeace, to lobby the government to call for a ban on bee-harming pesticides known as neonicotinoids. As you may have seen, Michael Gove – the Secretary of State for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs has since announced the government has reversed its earlier decision, and will now back a total ban on bee-harming pesticides across Europe. It is great to see the success of this campaign to back Labour’s manifesto pledge to prohibit neonicotinoids, and with the government’s decision to U-turn and pledge to protect our bees.

I will continue to work tirelessly to hold this government’s feet to the fire to ensure they deliver on their promise of robust animal welfare protection measures