Fox hunting stymies Blair

LONDON - With compromise as elusive as the wiliest fox, the attempt to ban or regulate hunting with dogs in England and Wales has turned into an endless chase through Parliament.

After the House of Commons ignored the government's efforts at compromise and voted Monday for a total ban, Prime Minister Tony Blair is again struggling to settle the issue. And he dares not alienate voters on either side of the passionate debate.

"The House of Commons has spoken, and we have to respect the result of the free vote," Blair's official spokesman said Tuesday, a day after a majority of lawmakers called for an outright ban and overturned the government's Hunting Bill, which proposed strict controls.

The bill will be reworked to "reflect and respect" Monday night's vote, said the spokesman, speaking on customary condition of anonymity.

But with the difficult hurdle of the House of Lords still to clear before any legislation can become law, the fate of Britain's foxes is far from clear.

Blair's government came to power in 1997, pledging to give lawmakers a free vote on the sport, in which scarlet-jacketed horseback riders chase foxes with packs of dogs.

But in the past six years, attempts to ban or regulate the age-old pursuit have failed, either due to a lack of space on the crammed parliamentary timetable, or because peers in the Lords - Parliament's unelected upper chamber - have blocked legislation.

Passions run high on both sides of the fox-hunting debate.

Opponents insist it is a cruel and barbaric practice. Supporters say the hunt is a form of pest control, which creates thousands of jobs and binds together rural society.

In July 1999, Blair promised a ban on fox hunting, but has been less outspoken in recent years. A series of large marches by rural voters and their backers has the prime minister aware his governing Labor Party could lose support if it pushes for a ban.

The Hunting Bill attempted to strike a compromise. It proposed banning stag hunting and hare coursing, but allowing fox hunting to continue under strict rules. The length of chases would be curbed, and hounds would be more closely controlled.

But in an embarrassing blow to Blair, who had pledged his support for the bill, lawmakers on Monday voted 362-154 for an amendment calling for a total ban. After an impassioned 51/2-hour debate, dozens of Blair loyalists, including Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott and several other Cabinet members, used their free vote to back the amendment.

Hunt opponent Phyllis Campbell-McRae said lawmakers had "signaled a total end to this barbaric activity."

But hunting enthusiasts vowed to fight attempts to ban the pastime.

"What it shows is that Labor is utterly at odds with the countryside," said Ian Farquhar, joint master of Beaufort Hunt, which regularly includes Prince Charles in its rides.

Rural affairs minister Alun Michael said the reworked bill should be ready before the Commons leaves on its summer vacation July 17.

But any bill will face stiff opposition in the tradition-bound Lords. The Commons may have to invoke rarely used legislation known as the Parliament Act to force legislation through the Lords.

The main opposition Conservatives claimed on Tuesday that Blair had lost control of his party.

"The government has got itself into an almighty mess," said Conservative environment spokesman David Lidington. "To put hunting ahead of health in the parliamentary program shows a government that is completely out of touch with the public's priorities."

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