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Anti-fox hunting campaigners declared victory today after humiliated Theresa May finally shelved plans to axe the ban.

The bloodsports-loving Prime Minister was forced to ditch her bid to bring back the hated pastime after losing her Commons majority.

The Tory leader revealed her passion for hunting to the Mirror during the general election battle, as she owned up to a plot to scrap the 12-year-old ban.

Furious Conservative MPs blamed the PM’s bid for their ballot box embarrassment as Mrs May was denied an outright win.

And in a written parliamentary answer the Government slipped out on Monday night, it was confirmed a free vote for MPs had been mothballed.

(Image: REUTERS)

Tory former Cabinet Minister Grant Shapps tweeted: “Fox hunting, the insane policy signalling election campaign was about to go off-the-rails, is officially dumped.”

League Against Cruel Sports chief executive Eduardo Gonçalves said: “It’s a victory for common sense.

The reaction during the election showed that the public don’t want a government messing around with the Hunting Act when there are so many other important issues to worry about.

If it wasn’t for the Mirror, this could have slipped under the radar, and the country could have found itself with fox hunting legal again before anyone knew it.”

Mr Goncalves said the anger stirred up during the campaign over Mrs May’s plans for a free vote on axing the ban was “wonderful to see”.

(Image: AFP)

He added: “But we’re aware that this is only a postponement of the attack on the Hunting Act, not a cancellation.

“We have no doubt that a vocal minority will continue in their attempts to weaken or repeal the ban – either openly or via the back door.

“We know that 84% of the public don’t want fox hunting made legal again. Even more are opposed to deer hunting and hare hunting.

“The public don’t want animals to be hunted just because some people like doing it, so we need to stop talking about undermining important legislation and get on with the job of strengthening and enforcing it.”

Scrapping the ban was not featured in the Queen’s Speech, setting out the Government’s plans for the next two years.

But there were fears the Tories could sitll try and lift the ban by the backdoor.

Those worries were scotched when Environment Minister Therese Coffey quietly issued a response to a written Commons question.

The answer said: “The Government’s manifesto includes a free vote on the Hunting Act 2004, but we are not planning to bring forward a free vote in this session.”

Labour MP Catherine West, who table the question, blasted the Conservatives for not ditching the plan earlier.

“The fact the Tories didn’t drop this archaic policy immediately like the majority of their manifesto shows how out of touch they are and that nobody knows what they stand for anymore,” she said.

“The overwhelming majority of the British public support the ban on hunting with hounds, with a recent poll showing a record high of 84% back the ban, so the plan should have been ditched as soon as the Mirror uncovered it.”

Lib Dem rural affairs spokeswoman Baroness Kate Parminter said: “It’s good news that the Government has dropped this proposal.

“It was a ridiculous idea to reopen a debate which was comprehensively decided on 10 years ago.

“In these uncertain times, the Government should be focusing on the real priorities for rural communities and protecting the wildlife and countryside that they cherish.”

Humane Society International executive director Claire Bass said: “HSI is delighted to hear that Ms May has shelved the vote to repeal the fox hunting ban.

“Fox hunting is not only a barbaric assault on an iconic species of British wildlife, it is also extremely unpopular with the public.

“There is a growing list of Conservative MPs who reject this horrifically cruel excuse for a ‘sport’ and we look to them to keep this archaic policy out of future Tory manifestos.”

But Countryside Alliance chief executive Tim Bonner hit back: “There is no expectation of progress on the ridiculous Hunting Act with a hung parliament and Brexit negotiations underway.

“So it remains, for the moment, as a classic example of bad law which creates nothing but division.

“Meanwhile, hunts will continue to operate with support from across the rural community.”