HUNT supporters have drawn up a priority list of 50 constituencies in an attempt to oust anti-hunt MPs at the next general election.

Huntsmen and women are to be urged to offer support to candidates — mainly Conservatives — who will repeal any hunting ban and fight to introduce licensed hunting.

The seats have been selected because they are in areas with strong hunting communities and where MPs are largely fighting slim majorities of less than 10 per cent.

There are no Cabinet ministers on the list, but tactics could threaten Melanie Johnson, the Public Health Minister, in Welwyn Hatfield; Christopher Leslie, the Constitutional Affairs Minister responsible for elections, in Shipley; and Ivor Caplin, the Defence Minister, in Hove.

The seats of prominent anti-hunt Labour MPs Michael Foster, in Worcester, Gordon Prentice in Pendle, and Ian Cawsey, in Brigg and Goole, are also on the hit-list.

The choice of seats is certain to provoke Labour Party accusations that hunt supporters are acting as a wing of the Conservative Party.

The Countryside Alliance has no formal involvement in this strategy and has made clear that it cannot involve itself directly in election campaigns. Grassroots hunt people are, however, adamant that they have the right as individuals to campaign wherever they wish.

Thousands of hunters are preparing a mass protest in Brighton at the Labour Party conference this week to show their anger at the Government’s decision to force through a hunting ban. The draft election strategy also emerges as tempers between the pro-hunt and anti-hunt camps appear at breaking point and action is being stepped up by hunt protesters against some ministers and MPs.

The election strategy has been compiled by Jeremy Sweeney, a professional lobbyist who left the Tory party ten years ago. He has no political affiliations and does not hunt, but he is willing to fight for people to have the freedom to hunt and believes that, as a single-issue campaign, hunting may have some impact during the election.

He believes that it is possible for the hunt vote to influence the outcome in many seats in the same way as it was able to swing opinion against Jackie Ballard, the former anti-hunt Liberal Democrat MP in Taunton, at the last election.

His analysis suggests that the main battleground for votes would be in the East and West Midlands.

“Labour does not know how many lurcher and terrier men are seriously unhappy that they might be caught up in this legislation,” he says.

“The vast majority of hunting in this country is done by men and women with lurchers in the Midlands and not lords and ladies on horseback chasing foxes.

“They are not toffs and they live in terraced houses and keep dogs who get hares for the pot. They probably vote Labour and we will just have to see now whether they will campaign for a Tory candidate.” Hunts have not yet been linked with seats and so far no approach has been made to opposition candidates to check that they would welcome this extra support.

Mr Sweeney suggests that 300 activists would be needed for each of the 50 target seats — a total of 15,000 campaigners, which he says is easily achievable. Individuals would help with activities such as distributing leaflets, putting up posters and stuffing envelopes. Card-carrying local party volunteers would concentrate on frontline canvassing. Some 37 of the 50 seats had majorities of less than

10 per cent of the vote at the last election and, according to the Economic and Social Research Council, a strong local campaign in an election can make a difference of between 5 and 10 per cent of the vote.

Simon Hart, chief executive of the Countryside Alliance, said: “The alliance cannot become directly involved in election campaigns, but I am sure that people will want to do everything that they can to ensure that the next Parliament contains the maximum possible number of MPs who are prepared to defend their rights and their freedoms.

“Rural people make up a tiny minority of the electorate and the suggestion from Alun Michael, the Rural Affairs Minister, that we can vote out the Government if we don’t like its unjust legislation is a disgusting way to treat a minority.”

Police have already warned prominent MPs involved in the hunting debate that they must pay close attention to their personal security after a series of incidents in the past two weeks. including a piece of concrete being thrown into the Labour Party office in Stroud which is used as a base by David Drew, the Labour MP.

A crowd of 150 protested outside the home of Peter Hain, Leader of the House, in Resolven, near Neath, South Wales, on Saturday and delayed his departure for Brighton. The minister accused them of turning off his water supply.

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