Tory MPs plan revolt over U-turn on fur and foie gras import ban
Conservative MPs are organising a revolt against the prime minister over the scrapping of a ban on the imports and sale of fur and foie gras.
Government sources have confirmed to the Guardian that reports of a U-turn were “broadly correct”, despite the fact the bans were part of the 2019 Conservative manifesto aimed at bringing swing voters on side. A Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) spokesperson said the government was still “fully committed to animal welfare”.
MPs who are in favour of a ban said they were shocked by the news and were demanding an explanation from Boris Johnson.
Lorraine Platt, a grassroots Tory campaigner who is known as the “unofficial whip” on animal welfare policies, is organising an influential group of MPs to lobby the prime minister to think again.
Platt is the founder of the Conservative Animal Welfare Foundation, which counts cabinet ministers including Dominic Raab and Zac Goldsmith among its members.
She said: “We can’t let Boris be swayed off course by a minority of dissenters. We’ve known for some time there’s been a small minority of MPs who are against any ban on foie gras and fur imports.
“We will be taking some action on this. We will be encouraging this measure to go forwards.”
Sir Roger Gale, the MP for North Thanet, who has handed in a letter of no confidence to the 1922 Committee asking for Johnson to resign, said he thinks the prime minister made the choice to pander to the right wing of the party to strengthen his position.
He said: “The amount of positive publicity these policies have had, it seems a strange decision. It’s not going to please anyone except a few hard-right MPs who regard this as woke nonsense.
“I don’t know whether he’s trying to pander to the
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