A campaign group which helped force the Government into an embarrassing u-turn over plans to sell off forests has set its sights on stopping a planned cull of badgers.

Evidence of overwhelming public opposition to the proposed cull of badgers was withheld until the Government had decided to go ahead with the controversial plan.

The Government has announced controversial plans to introduce a major badger cull in England to tackle TB in cattle.

Badgers will be shot in a bid to limit the spread of TB in cattle, the Government is expected to announce today.

Culling badgers to counter tuberculosis in cattle would be a mistake, the leading government adviser on the problem said yesterday, in advance of an expected announcement that a cull is to go ahead.

Ministers are poised to give the go-ahead to a widespread cull of badgers in a bid to halt the growing spread of tuberculosis in cattle – with a significant gap still remaining in the science behind the move.

Prince Charles has been accused of hiding behind stringent new Freedom of Information restrictions to conceal lobbying of the Government for changes to policy after it was revealed that he met at least eight ministers in a 10-month period.

David Cameron has foolishly painted himself into a political corner with his resistance to the ban on wild animals in British circuses. His Government has made one feeble excuse after another, seeking to blame the EU, the Human Rights Act or cross-border selling regulations. They have all been exposed as bogus.

From the outset, Downing Street's response to attempts by independent- minded MPs to ban the use of wild animals in circuses was misleading and bullying. Thankfully, yesterday it also proved to be futile.

The European Commission has cast doubt on the Coalition’s claim that it cannot legally introduce a ban on wild animals in circuses because of EU legislation.

The Government is facing an embarrassing defeat over its refusal to ban wild animals from circuses in a crunch vote in the Commons next week.