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David Cameron took part in a secret country shoot, flushing out birds to be blasted from the sky, it emerged today.

The Tory toff and his chums in the Chipping Norton set of rich and powerful figures enjoyed a day of blood sports, with the Prime Minister playing a key role.

He was a “beater”, hitting the ground to force defenceless game to fly off and present targets for gun-toting marksmen to shoot them out of the air.

The revelation came as Eton-educated Mr Cameron refused to rule out joining a fox hunt if he is ousted from Downing Street.

The out-of-touch Conservative leader said he hadn’t hunted for “many, many years”.

But asked if he would like to hunt again, he claimed: “I’m only focused on one thing, which is serving my country and winning the election. It doesn’t give me much time for other things.”

The PM is a well-known supporter of country sports, and today it emerged he went on a New Year’s Eve shoot.

Mr Cameron celebrated the festive gun party by drinking a specially prepared “Chipping Norton” cocktail.

It is a mix of Sipsmith London Dry Gin, posh manuka honey, raspberry tea and extract of the echinacea plant, which can be used to treat flu.

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The Tory leader’s attendance at the festive shoot was a closely-guarded secret until he arrived.

Mr Cameron did not himself fire a gun, but he has previously shot stag on a Scottish estate owned by his wife’s stepfather, Viscount Astor.

Friends say he has the “right-left” technique where hunters kill two deer in one go before they run off.

The latest bloody escapade took place near the PM’s Oxfordshire constituency home.

He is a key member of the Chipping Norton set, which is named after the Cotswolds town and includes figures such as former Top Gear star Jeremy Clarkson, ex-newspaper editor Rebekah Brooks and former pop star Alex James.

Jared Brown, master distiller at West London-based Sipsmith, told a Sunday newspaper: “No one but the landowner knew the Prime Minister would be joining us.”

He added: “I can say with utter certainty that Mr Cameron did not handle a gun.”

The Prime Minister, who used to ride with the Heythrop Hunt in Oxfordshire, outlined his backing for blood sports in an article last month for Countryside Alliance magazine.

Below: Heythrop Hunt

He wrote: “I have always been a strong supporter of country sports. It is my firm belief that people should have the freedom to hunt, so I share the frustration that many people feel about the Hunting Act and the way it was brought in by the last government.

“The Hunting Act has done nothing for animal welfare. A Conservative Government will give Parliament the opportunity to repeal the Hunting Act on a free vote, with a government Bill in government time.”

Squirming Mr Cameron did not deny hunting was his “favourite” sport on today's Andrew Marr Show, but insisted: “I love walking, I love fishing - I love all sorts of sports.”

Hunting foxes with dogs was outlawed in February 2005, but the Tories have pledged to allow MPs a free vote on the issue if they win the election.

The below video is from 2013

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League Against Cruel Sports acting campaigns director Tom Quinn said tonight: “The Prime Minister’s apparent love for hunting and shooting is disappointing and does not reflect the views of the vast majority of people in Britain.

“Polls show he is in the minority as only around two out of ten people in this country either support hunting or find shooting animals for sport acceptable.

“It is surprising that just before an election he would not distance himself from such an unpopular position.

“If we take a step back by allowing a minority to roam the countryside chasing and killing wildlife, then we’re not listening to the people, and not understanding one of the most important traditions in this country – a love for animals.”

Shadow Environment Secretary Maria Eagle said Labour was committed to defending the hunting ban.

She added: ​“David Cameron should accept that the public overwhelmingly support the ban on fox hunting because causing defenceless animals to suffer in the name of sport has no place in a civilised society.”