The public and parliamentary view of fox hunting has shifted

Now, in midwinter, it is evident that any attempt to repeal or weaken the law will be futile

About 250,000 hunters and hunt supporters are expected to turn out for the traditional Boxing Day meets (Getty)

In midsummer, it became clear that David Cameron’s attempts to reignite the debate over fox hunting – with the amendment of crucial elements of the legislation potentially leading to repeal of the ban on hunting with dogs by the backdoor – had been dealt a devastating blow. The SNP, newly elected as a significant force in Westminster, confirmed that it would break convention and vote with Labour on a matter that affects only England to ensure that the ban remained in place. Now, in midwinter, it is evident that any attempt to repeal or weaken the law will be futile.

This newspaper has always recognised that there were flaws in the legislation to ban this cruel sport when it was first introduced by Tony Blair’s government in 2004, and accepted that, at the time, it faced widespread opposition. In the intervening period, however, attitudes have fundamentally changed.

Polling data from Ipsos Mori shows that members of the public, in rural as well as urban areas, overwhelmingly state that fox hunting should not be legalised again, and further studies from YouGov conclude that all regions of Britain now support the ban.

The views of politicians, including those on the right, have followed a similar trajectory. As we report today, new research suggests 50 Conservative MPs are publicly committed to joining Labour and the SNP in opposing any amendments to the Act tabled by Cameron’s Government. More may privately share those views. That is compared to just six Tory MPs a decade ago when the issue was first being debated in the Commons.

There is not sufficient appetite for change, among the people or among their representatives, to justify spending any more parliamentary time on the fox-hunting debate. Any vote on the issue would, we now know, be lost by the Government. The ban should stand, and Mr Cameron should move on to the myriad urgent matters with a better claim to his attention.