Today, the House of Commons, unanimously voted to pass a historic ban on the imports of trophy hunting kills to Britain, making it the strongest form of legislation in the world.

The Hunting Trophies (Import Prohibition) Bill received strong cross-party support and was passed unopposed by MPs, despite last minute wrecking amendments threatening to derail the vote.

The bill is now set for its First Reading in the House of Lords, after two amendments, proposed by Sir Bill Wiggin, MP for North Herefordshire, were accepted in order to pass the bill.

Dame Joanna Lumley, Dame Judi Dench, Charles Dance, Peter Egan and Gary Lineker were amongst the high-profile campaign supporters, who urged MPs to vote today in a historic moment for British democracy.

Founder of the Campaign to Ban Trophy Hunting, Eduardo Goncalves, noted: “The outcome of today’s debate signifies a momentous stride towards enshrining this bill into law, concerning a matter that is morally indefensible. I express my appreciation to the government for respecting their pledge to the electorate and for effecting the aspirations of an overwhelming majority of people who support this bill. The act of callously slaying innocent animals is and always has been an intolerable transgression of decency. This is a victory for wildlife and for our tireless supporters. We hope that this vote inspires other governments to follow likewise.”

Henry Smith, Conservative MP for Crawley, who tabled the bill said: “This is an issue that has nothing to do with party politics; it has everything to do with basic British values of decency, fairness, and respect for our natural world. I am proud to say that today we rightfully stood up for voiceless animals.”

This week, a new book, Sally’s Law: Secrets & Lies of Trophy Hunters, reveals that the world’s number two trophy hunter is a British businessman and discloses the names of one hundred British trophy hunters, including a London woman voted the world’s leading female trophy hunter by the American hunting industry.

Hundreds of endangered animals including lions, elephants, giraffes, and polar bears are hunted by British trophy hunters every year, and the current legislation permits these hunters to import the remains of these animals into the UK for taxidermy and trophy display in their homes.

A survey conducted by Survation, polling 1,873 voters, revealed that 80% of the constituents of Members of Parliament expressed a desire for their local MP to attend Parliament and champion the passage of the bill. This proposed legislation, dubbed “Sally’s Law,” is named after a tiger cub rescued from trophy hunting in South Africa last year.

It is worth noting that the UK is not the only country that opposes trophy hunting. A 2022 IPSOS survey found that 68% of South Africans are against this practice, despite South Africa being a popular destination for trophy hunting vacations.

The Campaign to Ban Trophy Hunting was set up in 2018 by Eduardo Goncalves, former WWF International Director Jean-Paul Jeanrenaud, legendary explorer Sir Ranulph Fiennes OBE, and actor and leading animal advocate, Peter Egan, and to date, has garnered cross-party support, and endorsement by big celebrity names including Dame Joanna Lumley, Dame Judi Dench and Ricky Gervais.