The Labour government's proposed ban on trail hunting has come under yet more fire, this time, from voices within their own party.

Labour peers Baroness Hunter of Auchenreoch and Baroness Mallalieu both questioned the move, urging the government to not be "distracted from their priorities" or "insensitive to countryside interests".

Sir Keir Starmer's government has been repeatedly criticised for its "war on the countryside", after a barrage of controversial policy decisions that have been seen as attacks on rural communities; such as the hated Family Farm Tax, the trail hunting ban, and proposals to restrict lawful shotgun ownership.

Recent figures from ORB found that two in three voters (65%) think the Labour government unfairly neglects those living in the countryside and does not care about those that live there (64%).

The criticisms came last week during the House of Lords debate on the government's Animal Welfare Strategy.

Baroness Hunter of Auchenreoch, a former political adviser of Tony Blair, warned the government not to repeat the former Prime Minister's mistake, referencing his admission that the 2004 hunting ban was one of the policies he most regrets:

"What plans do the Government have in these considerations to avoid being distracted from their priorities, and not repeating Sir Tony Blair’s admission, despite my best efforts, of being insensitive to countryside interests? What plans do they have to ensure swift consultation with the rural community on the economic impact on their livelihoods and what support can be provided in any transition?"

Baroness Mallalieu echoed her criticism of the proposed ban, raising the issue of fallen stock, and stating that the proposals come from a dislike of people, rather than out of concern for animal welfare:

"In my rural community and many others, if you have dead stock on your farm or a badly injured animal which needs to be put down, you ring the hunt kennels, which operate the national fallen stock scheme and, 24/7, they send a trained and efficient member of staff to end the animal’s suffering and remove the body. If the Government were to persist with their ill-advised commitment to ban lawful trail hunting, which is not about animal welfare but about dislike of people, what are their proposals to replace the system for relief of animal suffering? It is currently carried out by the hunts, and I think none of those who are pressing for the ban have volunteered to do it."

Commenting on the development, Polly Portwin, Director of the Campaign for Hunting at the Countryside Alliance, said:

"It's imperative that the government recognise the mistake they are making in pursuing a ban on lawful trail hunting. The last Labour government wasted 700 hours of parliamentary time on banning hunting, and in doing so, completely destroyed their relationship with the countryside for a generation. More than 20 years later, they are now trying to ban the very thing they encouraged the hunting community to do instead.

"Senior Labour voices are warning the government not to repeat its mistake. With more than 100 rural MPs, and a countryside that already feels unfairly targeted by government policies, the government would do well to listen before it is too late. The opportunity is there for the government to mend its broken relationship with the countryside, but to do this, it needs to focus on the priorities of the nation, and legislate for rural communities, not against them."