Tally ho-ld off: UK drops plan for vote on fox hunting

LONDON – Britain’s Conservative government has dropped plans to hold a vote on re-legalizing fox hunting, an issue that some in the party believe cost them votes during last month’s election.

Environment Minister Therese Coffey told lawmakers Monday there will be no vote in the current two-year session of Parliament.

A centuries-old rural tradition, hunting with dogs was banned in 2004 after complaints that it caused suffering to wild animals chased and killed by hounds.

Prime Minister Theresa May pledged during the election campaign to hold a vote on whether to repeal the ban.

Polls consistently suggest a majority of Britons oppose fox hunting, and some Conservatives were alarmed by May’s promise.

The June 8 election stripped the Conservatives of their majority in Parliament, limiting the government’s power to implement contentious legislation.