As Britain’s former Defence Secretary, Ben Wallace is no stranger to leading from the front. But as he takes on his latest challenge – heading up new national campaign Future for Hunting to defend hunting and protect the future of our rural way of life – it’s clear that his determination to stand up for the countryside comes from deep personal roots, not political ambition.
“I grew up in Ditcheat, in Somerset,” he recalls. “My father was friends with the Barbers, so I grew up in the point-to-point world. My sister hunted with the Blackmore & Sparkford Vale, and I started in the Pony Club. That’s how it all began.”
Wallace’s connection to the countryside runs through every chapter of his life. He has a lifelong passion for racing, both point-to-pointing and under Rules, as well as enjoying a day’s shooting when he can. As a young officer he hunted regularly. “I rode in the army,” he recalls, “But haven’t hunted on a horse since around 1995 when I last had a day with the Quorn.”
Then why is he championing the cause for hunting? “I’m not 20 years in the saddle riding out to hounds every day, but it’s all part of the countryside; the people, the animals, the land – it’s a way of life.”
That phrase – a way of life – comes up often when Wallace speaks. “Hunting, farming, shooting – they all belong to the same fabric of rural society,” he explains. “In my part of the world, in the north, you can seldom put a piece of paper between young farmers and the hunt. It’s part of who we are.”
For Wallace, hunting is not simply a sport but a reflection of the community and cooperation that define rural life. “Even if the fields are small, even if the going’s hard, it doesn’t matter – it’s part of how we live. And when people start picking away at it, whether through regulation, taxation, or political gesture, they’re really threatening a whole way of life.”
That conviction underpins the new national hunting campaign Wallace now leads – working with the Countryside Alliance and the British Hound Sports Association (BHSA) along with others that have various expertise – to resist government moves to “ban trail hunting” and to counter what he calls the “relentless persecution of rural people”.
In a recent letter to hunt supporters, Wallace clearly set out the campaign’s mission: “Our campaign will defend trail hunting, drag hunting and all forms of lawful hunting with hounds from an unjustified and disproportionate assault on rural communities, traditions, and livelihoods – resisting any government measures that threaten the long-term survival of packs and hunts.”
Having spent 19 years as an MP representing a farming constituency, Wallace knows that political campaigns succeed only when they are disciplined and grounded in reality. “We have to deal with the world as we find it, not as we wish it to be,” he says. “Timing is everything. The government’s legislative programme is full until next spring, so we’ll focus our efforts at the right moments.”
He has assembled an experienced team, including Sam Butler as Vice Chairman. “The aim,” he says, “is to ensure that, by the next election, hunts remain able to operate lawfully across the country and our hounds still have a future as working hounds.”
It is a pragmatic, long-term strategy. “The hunting community has already shown extraordinary resilience. Since the Hunting Act came into force 20 years ago, there have been more than 250,000 days of lawful hunting and around 30 convictions of registered hunts. That tells its own story. Hunting is operating within the law – and we intend to keep it that way.”
Wallace is quick to point out that hunting is not a public priority, however much some in Westminster would like to believe otherwise. “The idea that there is a national clamour for more restrictions on trail hunting is nonsense,” he says. “People in the countryside are far more worried about rural crime, the NHS, the roads, broadband and being able to afford to live in their communities.”
His concern is that governments too often give in to noise rather than need. “This isn’t about animal welfare anymore – it’s about ideology. It’s about politicians trying to make a statement at the expense of ordinary country people.”
One of Wallace’s strongest themes, both in conversation and in his public statements, is his belief in fair and balanced law enforcement. “We are one of the most law-abiding parts of society,” he says.
“The police have an obligation to uphold the law and police everyone without fear or favour. That includes protecting minorities – even when they’re unfashionable.”
His warning is stark but fair. “Sometimes it feels like they think the countryside would be better if we all just went away. But policing in Britain has always been by consent. Abandon your community and you risk being unable to do your job.”
As a former soldier, Wallace understands the power of coordination. “We’ve got to build a broader coalition,” he says. “This isn’t just about hunting – it’s about farming, shooting, small rural businesses and the future of the countryside. Government policy on farming tax, vehicle use, over-regulation – it’s all connected. We stand or fall together.”
That spirit of solidarity will be central to the campaign’s next phase. Wallace and his team plan to further equip hunts with the tools, materials and messaging needed to show government and the public the real value that lawful hunting brings to rural life: the jobs, the volunteerism, the environmental stewardship and the social fabric that binds so many communities together.
“We’ll provide hunts with advice and opportunities to engage with MPs, to present evidence and to demonstrate the discipline and professionalism that already exists,” he explains. “If we show that hunts are operating responsibly, that no further legislation is needed, and that policing resources are better used elsewhere, then we can protect lawful hunting for generations to come.”
Wallace is not nostalgic – he is practical. “Our way of life – as the Countryside Alliance predicted when it was first founded – isn’t about one sport or one community,” he says. “It’s about the freedom to live the lives we love, responsibly and respectfully. It’s about tolerance. Out here, we live and let live – something that seems to be forgotten in parts of urban Britain.”
As the hunting season gathers pace and the campaign builds momentum, Ben Wallace’s leadership will continue to bring together our community, working with the Countryside Alliance to bring a clear voice that combines political experience, rural credibility and genuine conviction.
“We’ve faced greater challenges before,” he reminds us. “If we stand together, act lawfully and speak with one voice, we can protect lawful hunting with hounds – and our rural way of life – for the generations who will follow.”
The aim is to ensure that, by the next election, hunts remain able to operate lawfully across the country and our hounds still have a future as working hounds.
First published in My Countryside magazine, Winter 2025. Image credit: Alamy