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Hunt saboteurs try to hijack National Trust AGM

Matt Cardy/Getty Images

It’s been a busy year for the National Trust. The charity, which boasts more than five million members, has rarely been out of the headlines amid criticisms of its restructuring programme and controversial report on properties with links to colonialism. And now a fresh fight looms over hunting ahead of next month’s annual general meeting.

A proposed motion calls for the Trust, the UK’s largest private landowner, to outlaw all legal trail hunting on its land. The charity’s board of trustees are yet to take a position on whether to back the proposal but have said they ‘are keen to hear the views of the membership on this subject.’  It will be the second time that members have voted on a ban on trail hunting, after a heated debate in 2017 led to claims of a dirty tricks campaign. 

Trust rules meant that members could not introduce another motion to ban hunting for four years, meaning next month’s motion will be the first available chance to vote on it.

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Steerpike

Steerpike is The Spectator's gossip columnist, serving up the latest tittle tattle from Westminster and beyond. Email tips to steerpike@spectator.co.uk or message @MrSteerpike

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