A short conversation between Charlie Moores and Dominic Dyer about the Queen's Speech and animal welfare legislation. 

Yesterday, May 10th, the Queen’s Speech, which sets out the government’s legislative agenda for the next parliamentary year, was given in the House of  Lords. It was - according to most commentators - a drab affair, a mix of new plans, long-made pledges and a handful of held-over bills. On animal welfare legislation, though, it was universally slammed with promises broken and pledges abandoned.

The Government did say that it is still committed to legislation to ban the import of hunting trophies, with The Secretary of State for Defra George Eustice quoted by a senior Conservative Mp Sir Roger Gale saying that it "will go ahead and be tougher than the manifesto commitment" but it has cancelled the flagship Animals Abroad Bill that would have outlawed trade in fur, stopped advertisers promoting exploitative animal events like elephant rides, and the import of foie gras....reportedly because MPs like Jacob Rees-Mogg said it was 'un-Conservative' to restrict choice - and by that he means his choice to eat foie gras rather than the choice of geese not to be force-fed grain until their livers explode...

• Government website Transcript of the Queen's Speech 2022