Nigel Farage has issued a rallying cry to rural communities in a fightback against Labour’s plan to ban a centuries-old tradition.
Speaking from Kent on the Boxing Day hunt, the Reform UK leader told the People’s Channel how the nation must defend their “innocent day out”.
As part of the Government’s new animal welfare strategy, trail hunting is set to be outlawed, which is commonly practised on Boxing Day.
The annual tradition involves trailing an animal-based scent in the countryside, letting the hunting dogs follow, and later pursued by a pack of hunters on horseback.
Despite the 2004 hunting ban, trail hunting has still been permitted because it does not involve killing any animals.
In fact, tens of thousands are expected to take part in hunts across the country today.
“These Boxing Day meets have been going on for centuries,” Mr Farage told GB News, joining the channel from the Garden of England.
He continued: “There’ll be several thousand people here today, as there will be at meets all over the country. It’s a wonderful day out.
“A lot of young horse riders aspire to be good enough to ride out with the hunt. Of course, the hounds are magnificent. It’s a beautiful day out.
Nigel Farage joined GB News from Kent on a Boxing Day hunt
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GB NEWS
“The very thought that a Government that is so filled with ignorance of rural communities, and what this means to many people living in areas like this, is frankly, very, very shocking, almost as if they sort of have a loathing of the countryside, which we saw with the inheritance tax on family farms.
“We’ve seen in the last week some new animal food standards, which will put us at a big disadvantage to our European competitors.
“And now they want to ban an innocent, nice day out like this.”
But Mr Farage added: “Well, I’ll tell you what. There are between 70 and 100 members of Parliament from the Labour Party who represent rural or semi-rural constituencies.
Tens of thousands are expected to take part in hunts across the country today
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GETTY“Forty-four of them abstained on the budget vote on inheritance tax. One voted against. And that’s what led to the U-turn. The upping of the thresholds before Christmas.
“The idea that this is the last time we’re going to meet on a day like this.
“Frankly, we can win this. We can win this by the rural community getting together and saying to those Labour MPs, ‘if you do this, we will not vote for you’.”
Mr Farage further laid into Labour for its history of U-turns, from grooming gangs to its latest swivel on inheritance tax.
“We’re going to fight this all the way and we can win this. And I truly, truly believe that,” he added.
Across rural Britain, hunting alongside loyal hounds has been part of the traditional festivities, making up a part of Christmastime for centuries.
The 2004 law banned the use of dogs to hunt foxes, hares, deer and mink across England and Wales, while trail hunting has continued to be allowed due to the absence of any killing.
Mr Farage’s words echoed those of the chief executive of the Countryside Alliance, Tim Bonner, who insisted returning to the matter in Westminster was “completely unnecessary”.
He said: “It is unbelievable that the Government wants to waste more parliamentary time on hunting.
“This issue was settled 20 years ago as far as Labour was concerned but it does not seem to be able to leave it alone.”