MP Says Big Game Hunting Trophy Ban ‘Virtue Signalling at Expense of African Wildlife’

Shadow minister says trophy hunting should be put in 'dustbin of history'

MPs and campaigners against big game hunting, including explorer Sir Ranulph Fiennes (3rd from R) actress Vicki Michelle (5th from R) and former ski jumper Eddie "The Eagle" Edwards (far R) in the Houses of Westminster, England, on March 15, 2023. PA Media

A Conservative MP has told the House of Commons a private member’s bill that would ban the importation of big game hunting trophies was a “classic case of virtue signalling at the expense of African wildlife and the conservation efforts of African people.”

The Hunting Trophies (Import Prohibition) Bill—which is supported by actors Charles Dance, Joanna Lumley, and Vicki Michelle and TV presenter Gary Lineker—was debated in Parliament on Friday.