Hunting law shot down after SNP reneges on English deal
LEADER of the Scottish National Party (SNP) Nicola Sturgeon yesterday signalled a change of heart on her vow to keep her party from voting on English-only laws, after forcing David Cameron to back down from a vote on hunting laws south of the border.
While Conservative MPs had been given a free vote on proposals to relax the use of dogs during hunting, the government would have faced its first parliamentary loss, after the SNP threatened to flex its muscles and team up with Labour MPs and Tory dissenters.
The Prime Minister postponed the vote in a move which underlines his slim majority.
Sturgeon said she reneged on her pledge because of demand UK-wide for her party to vote.
Former Tory MP Iain Dale said the SNP’s move defies convention of abstaining from England-only laws: “Sadly, that honourable position has been jettisoned just to give David Cameron a bloody nose”.