Match of The Day presenter Gary Linker has jumped feet first into another political debate.
The ex-footballer has called on the House of Commons to ban trophy hunting imports and demanded that MP’s support an upcoming Bill that would block hunters bringing home souvenirs such as heads and pelts.
In a letter to the Times newspaper, Lineker claimed that MPs are likely to avoid debating the Trophy Hunting Bill on Friday preferring instead to return to their constituencies.
According to The Telegraph:
The letter, also signed by Frank Bruno, Chris Kamara and Joe Bugner, reads: “It would be a crushing blow to democracy if a measure promised in four Queen’s Speeches were lost because not enough MPs turned up.”
An amendment to the private member’s bill on Tuesday evening from Sir Bill Wiggin, the Conservative MP for North Herefordshire, would allow trophies if it could be shown that the hunting contributed to the conservation of animals, plants or natural habitats.
This was a sentiment backed by African leaders who have accused the UK of trying to “recolonise” the continent and of stripping incentives to preserve wildlife.
The Bill has received cross-party backing but in an open letter to Andrew Mitchell, minister of state in the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, 109 representatives of conservation areas in Angola, Botswana, Namibia and Zambia, say the law will instead harm wildlife.
Income from “carefully managed” trophy hunting is needed to fund conservation efforts and without it, poaching and unemployment will increase, the authors say.
“It is sad to mention that we feel this is another way of recolonising Africa, with all the consequences that had befallen our forefathers,” they wrote.
Lineker has repeatedly used his Twitter account to condemn trophy hunting.
In August 2021 he responded to a secret video in which the wife of the National Rifle Association chief, Wayne LaPierre, killed an elephant, cut off its tail, held the trophy in the air and shouted “Victory!”.
Lineker tweeted: “How could you ever do this? Truly abhorrent.” The post received more than 10,000 likes.
