Tony Blair banned fox hunting after taking £1m donation, claims Lord Mandelson
According to Peter Mandelson, Tony Blair put an end to fox hunting after being gifted with a £1 million contribution to the Labour party by a group advocating for animal welfare.
According to the ex-business minister, the group forced the previous head of the Labour Party to prohibit the activity of hunting in rural areas.
According to him, the discussion became very focused on exchanging things and he claimed that the organization fighting for animal rights demanded the prohibition only if they received compensation.
The member of the Labour party who holds peerage did not specify the particular group who was involved. However, back in 1996, Brian Davies, who was an activist for animal welfare and also founded the International Fund for Animal Welfare, donated £1 million to the party.
On Thursday, a representative for Sir Tony declared that there was no official arrangement, and that many individuals feel strongly about the matter.
Lord Mandelson, who is credited for steering New Labour to victory in 1997, recently made his assertions on the How To Win An Election podcast on Times Radio.
During a conversation about whether donors had influenced political parties to alter their policies, he shared an instance that took place in 1997. He recalled an organization, which dealt with animal welfare, becoming quite commercial with them. This was a one-time experience that has stuck with him.
They proposed stopping hunting if they were given a significant sum of money. However, Blair and his associates were hesitant to make any exchanges concerning this matter.
Nevertheless, there were numerous individuals at the gathering who desired to impose the restriction. Several members of parliament were present and pushing for it to be enacted.
We found ourselves in a challenging circumstance where we exceeded Blair's expectations by including a certain commitment in our manifesto. This occurred due to external pressure, and despite being unappealing, it has not been replicated.
Ban Regret: A Short Thought
The leader of the Countryside Alliance, Tim Bonner, disagreed with the hunting ban and expressed his opinion. He mentioned that Tony Blair, former prime minister, has confessed that the hunting ban is one of the laws he feels most remorseful for implementing.
He stated: "The Hunting Act has not been successful on any level, particularly in terms of the negative impact it has had on the natural environment and the diversity of living organisms. If a Labour government is elected in the future, they should correct the mistakes of the past by abolishing this ongoing issue in the party's connection with rural communities."
In 2019, Mr Davies had claimed that he had given the money to charity after having a private dinner with Mr Blair. However, in December 2022, Mr Davies passed away. The incident occurred a year before Mr Blair became the Prime Minister.
The statement was made by him regarding a donation that aided the Labour party in winning the election. As a result, they were able to fulfill their promise of introducing the Hunting Act, which was seen as a positive move by animal enthusiasts throughout the country.
Sir Tony expressed remorse in his book, A Journey, regarding the prohibition of hunting and the negative impact it had on inhabitants of rural areas.
A representative for Sir Tony clarified that the claim alleging the ban was put in place as a result of the donation is incorrect. According to her, there was no agreement made regarding this matter. Lord Mandelson merely pointed out that there were numerous individuals with strong opinions on the topic.
