ANTI-HUNTING MPs will have a clear majority on the committee that is being set up to deal with the next stage of the Government Bill to restrict the sport.

Government and opposition whips met last week to discuss the composition of the committee that will start the line by line scrutiny of the Hunting Bill early next month.

Alun Michael, the rural affairs minister, is hoping that supporters and opponents of hunting will accept his proposals as the basis for a settlement.

But anti-hunting MPs are determined to amend the Bill so that it bans the sport completely, and the second reading debate in mind December suggested that neither side was in the mood to compromise. The Commons backed the Bill by 368 votes to 155.

Although MPs were offered a free vote, the House divided largely along party lines. Of the 368 MPs who voted in favour of the Bill, 322 were Labour, 36 were Liberal Democrat, six were Tory, three were Plaid Cymru and one was Ulster Unionist.

The six Tories were: David Amess, Roger Gale, Marion Roe, John Taylor, Sir Teddy Taylor and Ann Widdecombe.

Of the 155 MPs who opposed the Bill, 141 were Tory, eight were Liberal Democrat, three were Labour, two were Ulster Unionist and one was the independent MP, Dr Richard Taylor.
The three Labour opponents were Denzil Davies, Mark Fisher and Ian Pearson.

Amendment

Twelve members of the Cabinet, including Gordon Brown, Robin Cook and Jack Straw, voted for the Bill. Tony Blair and John Prescott, who have put their name to the Bill, did not take part in the division.

Iain Duncan Smith, the Tory leader, voted against Mr Michael's proposal. Charles Kennedy, the Liberal Democrat leader, voted with the Labour majority.

Anti-hunting MPs are likely to introduce an amendment banning all foxhunting during the Bill's committee stage. The composition of the standing committee will reflect the balance of opinion in the Commons, and Government sources have confirmed this means it will be dominated by anti-hunting MPs.

The key vote will take place when the Bill reaches its report stage a few weeks later. All MPs can vote during report stage debates.

The Countryside Alliance said the Government faced a "long fight" if it wanted to stop hunting. He predicted that tempers would "boil over" if a fair solution was not found.

"We have said a just outcome is fine. We are prepared to move quite a long way to a statutory regulatory system," said Simon Hart, a spokesman.

"When people are treated unfairly, when their voices are not heard, when they are treated as second class citizens, then they get angry and I cannot blame them."

A spokesman for Countdown to the Ban, a group representing several anti-hunting organisations, said: "The only outcome that will be acceptable to us is a complete ban."