Philip Webster, The Times Political Editor, explains why a ban on hunting, being voted on by MPs today in Parliament, is now inevitable.

What is the significance of today's vote?

The House of Commons has debated hunting many, many times before. Today is, however, the first time that the Government has provided the means for the debate to come to a resolution. Many times in the past, backbench MPs have introduced Private Member's bills to ban hunting. But without the support of the Government's business managers in the Commons such attempts always ran out of time. It should therefore be the last time the Commons ever has to discuss fox-hunting.

How did we get to this point?

In December 2002 the Government introduced a Bill to license fox-hunting with hounds. But Labour MPs, led by Tony Banks and Gerald Kaufman, amended the Bill to a full ban. The House of Lords blocked it and it ran out of time. This parliamentary session, the Government has brought the Bill back in its changed form, proposing a full ban, with the full intention of using the 1949 Parliament Act to push it through, whether the Lords object or not.

Who cares about banning hunting?

It is a big issue with Labour Party activists and quite a number of Labour MPs. There is a big Commons majority - about 200 votes - in favour of the ban. All the polls show that the public doesn't like fox-hunting, but not that many people feel so strongly about it that it should be banned. So today is about Tony Blair finally, reluctantly, allowing a Labour-dominated Parliament to get its way.

Is there anything unusual about the parliamentary procedure being used?

The Bill will be pushed through the Commons in eight and a half hours today. That is very unusual, but is done when a Bill that has already been fully discussed. This Bill went through its full proceedings last year, and there is nothing left to be argued about. It has already been discussed ad nauseam.

Most of today's debate will be about the timing of the ban. Some MPs are so hardline that they don't want any delay in it coming into force, but most will support Mr Banks's proposal for a two-year delay.

Is there any way that hunting will not be banned?

A ban on hunting in 30 days' time is pretty much a certainty. The Countryside Alliance has threatened all kinds of legal challenges, including an objection on human rights grounds, and a judicial review on grounds of misuse of the Parliament Act. But the Alliance hasn't played this very well, by claiming that Parliament has no right to ban hunting. Parliament has voted to ban hunting many times, and it clearly does have a right to do this.

When will the ban come into effect?

Although it could take effect immediately, MPs will probably agree to delay the ban for 18 months, until July 2006, to give hunting communities time to adjust. In fact, as the hunting season ends in March, the last legal hunt for foxes in Britain will be in March 2006.

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