MPs rule out hunting ban deal

Hopes of a last-minute deal on hunting look doomed today as MPs prepare to reassert their demand for an outright ban.

Downing Street said Tony Blair was still holding out for a compromise which would allow hunting to continue under a licensing scheme.

But Labour MPs are expected to vote overwhelmingly in favour of a complete ban when the Bill returns to the Commons this afternoon.

Last night the House of Lords backed an amendment which would have allowed a regulated scheme.

The Commons and the peers are now braced for a final showdown on the issue. If, as expected Labour MPs back the reinstatement of an outright ban, the Bill will then return to the Lords.

If no agreement can be reached by the time the parliamentary session ends on Thursday, the Speaker Michael Martin will use the Parliament Act to ensure the will of the Commons is carried.

Meanwhile, peers will make a last-ditch attempt today to amend a Bill which gives ministers sweeping powers in the event of a national emergency. A cross-party coalition of peers wants stronger checks on the measures contained in the Civil Contingencies Bill.