I AM sorry to disappoint your correspondent P Osbourne ('Let's hear the Tory lines on fox hunting' - BEN, February 22), but as one of those challenged in his recent letter I am unable to provide a credible argument in defence of bloodsports.

After hearing months of evidence from those who are both pro and anti hunting, the independent Burns Inquiry concluded that hunting with hounds "seriously compromises the animal's welfare." In other words it's cruel.

As someone who believes in animal welfare, I have not, cannot, and will not support hunting with dogs. Nothing I heard in the debate over the Burns Inquiry has led me to change my mind. In this, I join those Conservatives, including Shadow Home Secretary Anne Widdecombe, who oppose a sport which they believe has no place in a modern Britain.

It may interest your correspondent to know that many prominent Labour supporters, including Sports Minister Kate Hoey and former Minister Geoff Rooker, actually support hunting, while the President and Chief Executive of the Countryside Alliance, the pro-hunting pressure group, are actually Labour Party members.

The hunting debate cannot be divided along simple party lines, and it is for this reason that hunting remains a free vote whenever it is debated in Parliament. In fact, when the issue was debated earlier this year, some eight Conservatives voted for an all out ban on hunting, while four Labour members, including the Sports Minister, did not.

James Stevens

Prospective

Parliamentary Candidate

New Hall Lane, Heaton