Happy Birthday
A note from The New Hunting Ban Director, Rhys Giles.
It’s hard to believe, but this week The New Hunting Ban turns one.
Rhys Giles, Neil Duncan-Jordan MP, and Philip Walters of the North London Hunt Saboteurs after the first official meeting of Hunt Saboteurs and MPs in the House of Commons.
On Thursday 9 January 2025, Neil Duncan-Jordan MP hosted representatives from North London Hunt Saboteurs and North Dorset Hunt Saboteurs, for a drop-in session for MPs in a committee room in the House of Commons. The aim was simple: to tell parliamentarians about the illegal hunting we witness week in, week out throughout the hunting season.
It was the first official meeting of hunt saboteurs and MPs on record. We were incredibly proud to be there - and a few MPs even turned up!
There was enough interest that we decided not to stop there. After several weeks of discussions and meetings, our ideas and shared excitement became The New Hunting Ban, with Neil Duncan-Jordan the first registered supporting MP.
The campaign was founded with three joint goals:
To push the government to act on its promise of further legislation to stop illegal hunting with hounds - because we were tired of having to do it ourselves.
To bring expert voices on hunting with hounds into Parliament - because to end hunting, you first must understand its complexities.
To author a new gold standard of hunting law - to push for radical, structural change, because a simple trail hunting ban will not be enough to end hunting for good.
It hasn’t been an easy journey, but I’m immensely proud of the progress we’ve made.
Perran Moon MP at the first meeting of The New Hunting Ban
In April 2025, Perran Moon MP - a registered supporter of The New Hunting Ban - used his adjournment debate to raise the issue of trail hunting. I watched from the public gallery as the Government made its first concrete commitment to action since 2005: a consultation on ending trail hunting.
More MPs soon joined the cause, including Sean Woodcock, Vikki Slade and former Environment Secretary Rachael Maskell. We hosted our first in-person meeting with them, alongside other prominent organisations united against blood sports, campaigners and activists from across the movement.
Building on that momentum, we hosted two Hunting Briefings for MPs.
The first focused on the lessons learned from the failures of the Hunting Act 2004, featuring subject-matter experts from the League Against Cruel Sports and the RSPCA.
From left to right: Rhys Giles (The New Hunting Ban), Will Morton (League Against Cruel Sports), Claire McParland (RSPCA), Neil Duncan-Jordan MP.
The second briefing was truly unprecedented: senior wildlife crime police officers speaking directly to parliamentarians about the realities of enforcing the law. Chief Superintendent Matt Longman, National Policing Lead on Hunting with Hounds, and Chief Inspector Kevin Lacks-Kelly, Head of the National Wildlife Crime Unit, gave a frank assessment of the challenges faced by officers on the ground.
Neil Duncan-Jordan MP and Chief Superintendent Matt Longman, National Policing Lead on Hunting with Hounds.
Alongside these briefings, the public made their voices heard through our Open Consultation survey. We initially hoped for a modest amount of constructive feedback on possible legal changes. Instead, we received over 2,000 responses. The call for action was deafening.
We even facilitated a sitting Member of Parliament accompanying hunt saboteurs on a surprise visit to a fox hunt, where he reported seeing behaviour that many would characterise as fox hunting - again, an unprecedented step in connecting politicians with the on-the-ground realities of bloodsports.
And now, the culmination of a year of work - the discussions, research, surveys, briefings, and arguments - our Legislative Recommendations have been published. I’m incredibly proud of them, and happy to call them a new gold standard for hunting legislation. I’d like to thank every single person who contributed.
So, what next?
We know that the government’s consultation on a trail hunting ban will begin soon. We’ve pushed hard to ensure it happens as quickly as possible, and we’re encouraged to hear that our calls for a broader scope - beyond trail hunting alone - have been heard. After all, the name of our campaign reflects our ambition for wide-ranging and meaningful legislative change.
Stewart Lee, Neil Duncan-Jordan MP and Irene Campbell MP
In December, we presented our Legislative Recommendations at an event in Portcullis House, hosted by our friend Stewart Lee and well attended by MPs and supporters. At that event, Neil Duncan-Jordan MP confirmed that he had begun the process of turning our recommendations into a Private Member’s Bill.
While it is unlikely that this bill will reach a vote, its purpose is clear: to show the government what good law looks like, to give supportive MPs something concrete to rally around, and to apply pressure for a government bill that matches or exceeds its contents.
We’ll continue promoting our recommendations throughout the new year, during the consultation and beyond, until a full and final ban on hunting with hounds is delivered.
We’re working alongside organisations including the League Against Cruel Sports, Protect the Wild, the RSPCA, Action Against Foxhunting, Protect Our Wild Animals and Verify Humanity - all united in their call for radical, structural reform of the law.
And we recognise, above all, the tireless efforts of local saboteurs, campaigners and activists. Their work not only protects wildlife day in, day out, but provides the evidence and lived experience that campaigns like ours depend on.
Above all, this first year has shown what’s possible when determination, expertise and public support come together. The New Hunting Ban began as a conversation in a committee room and has grown into a movement helping to shape the national debate on hunting with hounds. With the consultation ahead and legislation on the horizon, our focus remains clear: to secure meaningful, enforceable law that ends hunting for good. We will keep pushing - in Parliament, alongside our partners, and with the public - until wildlife is finally protected by a ban that works.
Here’s to another year - hopefully the last one for hunting with hounds in Britain.