Pro-fox hunting candidates put half of voters off, says new poll

'This is an issue the public feel very passionate about and, as today’s polling indicates, it can and will swing votes in many of the constituencies that will ultimately decide this election,' says Eduardo Gonclaves, chief executive of the League Against Cruel Sports

Avon Vale hunt making its way to the village of Laycock, Wiltshire, as the law banning fox hunting is in "tatters", according to the Countryside Alliance (PA)

Half of all voters are less likely to cast their ballot for a candidate in the general election who wants to make fox hunting legal again, according to a new poll.

The research by Survation also found that 67 per cent of voters believe that fox hunting should not be made legal in Britain.

It added that nearly half of all voters are “less likely” to vote for candidates who want to make fox hunting legal once more while a further third – or 27 per cent - responded “much less likely”. Just 3 per cent said they are “much more likely” to vote for candidates advocating fox hunting.

It comes after Theresa May said on the campaign trail that she had always been personally in favour of fox hunting and will maintain the party’s commitment to allow a free vote on the contentious issue.

Tory Lord Mancroft, chairman of the Council of Hunting Associations, said a sizeable majority for Ms May could usher in a new era for fox hunting and a vote on the issue could be scheduled for as early as this year.

The Conservative manifesto – published earlier this month – added: “We will grant a free vote, on a government bill in government time, to give Parliament the opportunity to decide the future of the Hunting Act.”

Commenting on the results Eduardo Gonclaves, the chief executive of the League Against Cruel Sports, said: “The numbers speak for themselves. Hunting has become one of the big issues in this election, and it is now clear that it is an extremely toxic one for any pro-hunt candidate.

“Looking at these figures, those candidates might just find themselves on the losing end on election night.

“This is an issue the public feel very passionate about and, as today’s polling indicates, it can and will swing votes in many of the constituencies that will ultimately decide this election.

"Fox hunting has been made an election issue in a way that has never happened before, and as a result many marginal seats are potentially back in play.”