THE TRADE REACTS TO A NEW LABOUR GOVERNMENT
The recent landslide victory by the Labour Party was well anticipated by opinion polls and has ushered in a significant swing in the political landscape, prompting the UK firearms and hunting industries to evaluate the potential impacts of the new government’s policies. Gun Trade Insider has collected detailed reactions from prominent figures within the sector, assessing their perspectives on navigating the changes under Labour’s rule.
NAVIGATING NEW LEADERSHIP
The appointment of Dame Diana Johnson as the new minister for crime, policing, and fire is central to industry thoughts. Known for her evidence -based decision-making, Dame Diana’s role is seen as crucial. Simon West highlights in his analysis on page 16, “Dame Diana is an intelligent, evidence -based decision maker who has no over-zealous ideological desire to damage shooting.” This portrayal suggests a potential for balanced policies that could accommodate the interests of the shooting community. Only time will tell.
REFLECTING ON HUNTING ’S FUTURE
Tim Bonner, chief executive of the Countryside Alliance, articulates the complex relationship between electoral politics and hunting issues: “On the one hand, issues like hunting might seem an irrelevance to such electoral calculations, but on the other, they send out the strongest possible signals about how a political party sees itself and how a government intends to rule. Is all the talk of respect for the countryside and the acknowledgements of past failings real, or is Labour going to revert to petty political point scoring in the countryside? The first King’s Speech of the new government, delivered to Parliament, did not include any mention of anti-hunting legislation.”
Tim further explains the nuanced position hunting occupies in the political agenda: “The absence of hunting from the King’s Speech was not wholly surprising given so many more obvious political priorities, but it does not mean legislation might not still be imminent. The government has, as it always does, reserved the right to bring forward ‘other measures’ than those specifically mentioned in the King’s Speech, meaning an individual MP could bring forward a Private Members’ Bill and there could be attempts to amend other legislation to attack hunting.”
Bonner stresses the importance of proactivity within the hunting community to safeguard its future: “The government’s agenda does, however, suggest that we have a period in which hunting can continue to address the perception of trail hunting, which is being used to justify further legislation. Given the government’s manifesto and its majority there is no question that there will be legislation at some point. The question now is how the government intends to define its commitment to ‘ban trail hunting’ in law. The image hunting projects over the coming seasons will have a significant impact on the government’s thinking and how far it believes it has to go.”
ECONOMIC CONTRIBUTIONS AND STRATEGIC ENGAGEMENTS
Christopher Graffius, executive director of communications and public affairs at BASC emphasises the economic and environmental importance of shooting: “BASC is ready to work with the incoming Labour government to ensure that shooting’s value to the UK economy and the contribution it makes to the conservation of our countryside is fully represented and acknowledged. Shooting is worth £3.3bn to the UK economy, generates the equivalent of 67,000 jobs, and contributes £500m worth of conservation value each year. These are numbers that can’t be ignored.”
FULL STORY: PAGE 04