Jeremy Hunt promises vote to bring back fox hunting as part of Britain's 'heritage'

• The ban on fox hunting in the UK could be lifted, under plans by the Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt,
• Hunt, who is running to become Britain's next prime minister, said he would back a new vote on legalising hunting with hounds after the next general election.
• The goverment's opponents promised to fight any attempt to lift the ban.
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LONDON - Jeremy Hunt would move to lift the ban on fox hunting in the United Kingdom, if he becomes prime minister.

The Foreign Secretary said that he would be "happy" for fox hunting, which was banned under the last Labour government in 2004, to be allowed again as it was "part of the countryside."

"I would vote to repeal the ban on foxhunting," Hunt tol the Telegraph.

"I would soon as there's a majority in parliament that would be likely to repeal the fox hunting back I would support a vote in parliament."

He said repealing the ban was necessary in order to restore the "heritage" of the British countryside.

"I don't hunt personally... but it's part of the countryside," he said.

"It's part of our heritage so personally I'm happy for people to do it."

The Conservative party has a long-running commitment to repealing the fox hunting ban but has so far resisted taking the opportunity to hold a vote on the issue.

Prime Minister Theresa May committed to holding a free vote on repealing the fox hunting ban in the run-up to the 2017 general election, but lost her party's governing majority.

Hunt said on Wednesday that he would hold such a vote after a general election.

"I don't believe there 's a majority in parliament to change it, so I think you would need a Conservative majority," he said.

The Conservative's opponents said that lifting the ban would be "barbaric."

Labour party chairman Ian Lavery said: "This Tory leadership race is going from bad to worse. We've had Johnson's tax cuts for the wealthy, a race to the bottom on no-deal Brexit, and now a pledge to bring back this barbaric practice that Labour had proudly banned."