Cowardly Keir Starmer bows to foreign hunting lobby

Keir Starmer has abandoned his pre-election promise to ban trophy hunting imports. Animal rights campaigners are not happy.

Considering the pressure tactics Starmer used against the Tories to ban this disgusting practice, he has, in a political sleight of hand, folded to the US pro-hunting lobby.

Starmer’s spine needs checking

Trophy hunting is a vile sport which needs eradicating. Wankers who, more often than not, are wealthy, pay thousands to kill wild animals to satiate their weird bloodlust.

Once they’ve massacred innocent animals, said wankers keep the severed heads, hides, and feet like some kind of votive offerings. Because nothing says comfort like a stuffed giraffe hanging over you as you watch the TV. Fucking weirdos.

The proposed law — otherwise known as the UK Hunting Trophies (Import Prohibition) Bill — aimed to stop British hunters from bringing animal parts home as if they were souvenirs. It would have ushered in a zero-tolerance police of this archaic hunter-gatherer-behaviour which endangers at-risk species.

But Labour quietly dropped the policy, hoping we wouldn’t notice. The issue was also conspicuously absent from the King’s speech, which may suggest it will not feature in the upcoming parliamentary agenda. No timeline, no start date from Labour — in it’s typical signature U-turn.

Before the election, Labour MPs made a point of attacking the Conservative government for dragging its feet on the issue. But let’s be honest, Labour, under Starmer, has completely folded under international pressure.

The Trump administration leaned on the DEFRA and it crumbled

The Trump-led US government heavily lobbied the UK to drop the ban. It should come as no surprise from a  man who viciously protected the right to bear arms. US secretary of the interior Doug Burgum wrote to the Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs, asking Labour to drop the bill.

Burgum claimed the ban would undermine conservation and disrupt cultural traditions. This, I struggle with because how the fuck will stopping rich people having tiger skin rugs undermine conservation? And if your cultural tradition is slaughtering an innocent animal to get your rocks off, I’d say it’s a tradition that belongs in the fucking bin. The US hunting lobby previously spent £1m fighting UK restrictions.

Instead of standing up to Washington and it’s gun-loving lobby, Starmer’s spine melted into oblivion and he caved.

British hunters import body parts of endangered species

The government is ignoring its own citizens to please foreign billionaires. Over 90% of British people find trophy hunting disgusting. Whilst our so-called ministers stall, our British billionaires are out there slaughtering endangered species.

Eduardo Goncalves, the founder of the Campaign to Ban Trophy Hunting, blasted the delay. He stated that the bill is sat there waiting for ministers to get on with it. And yet, they have quietly shelved all plans, much to the public’s dismay.

New research shows that blood thirsty British hunters brought back 118 body parts from giraffes between 2020 and 2024. They’ve become Britain’s most hunted trophy animal, even as they face a silent extinction.

Many subspecies of giraffe are now critically endangered, such as the Masai and Reticulated giraffe. Yet British hunters continue to murder these defenceless creatures, just so they can display their corpses in their stately homes.

UK imports of lion trophies skyrocketed from two in 2022 to 28 in 2023. It may seem like small numbers, but the fact is it is growing. Now, please tell me how the fuck this is helping conservation efforts? Trophies from 39 endangered species were shipped to our shores in 2023. That’s three times the amount from the year before.

Claire Bass, director at Humane World for Animals UK, slammed the decision, arguing that the US government is attempting to wield power over a British decision.

The Labour party has shown it lacks the spine to defend animals from bloodthirsty rich elites. By burying the bill, the government has once again shown it’s promises mean fuck all when faced with American pressure.

Featured image via the Canary

By Antifabot

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