Prosecutors can take animal welfare prosecutions from the RSPCA without any difficulty, senior Government figures have said in a blow to the charity which wants to hang on to its right to investigate and prosecute cruelty cases.

The RSPCA is under pressure to stop investigating and prosecuting animal welfare cases after MPs on a committee said last month that it should lose its right to pursue hunts and pet owners through the courts.

Last year the charity successfully prosecuted 1,733 people for animal cruelty, down from 2,382 in 2014.

The MPs on the Environment committee said the RSPCA should withdraw completely from private prosecutions, saying that they were "not convinced ... that the RSPCA is in a better position than the Crown Prosecution Service when it comes to prosecuting animal welfare cases.

They added: "It should step back from making prosecutions itself, continuing instead to work closely with the police and prosecution service to protect the welfare of animals."

Now it has emerged that the Attorney General Jeremy Wright, who is in charge of the Crown Prosecuting Service, believes the CPS has the capacity to take over the RSPCA’s cases.