A giant fox is running against Andy Burnham in the Makerfield by-election, aiming to become the next Member of Parliament for the Manchester constituency. Animal rights campaigner Robert Pownall, founder of the group Protect the Wild, announced his candidacy on Thursday and plans to wear a giant, furry fox suit while campaigning and even when taking his seat in Parliament.
Why the Fox Suit?
Writing on Substack, Pownall admitted the costume is a tad 'terrifying looking' but explained his reasoning: 'Because I simply do not trust this government to deliver for animals.' He criticized the government for u-turning on banning animal trophy imports, abandoning plans to ban foie gras imports, and allowing two more years of badger culling despite manifesto promises suggesting otherwise.
Hunting Act Loopholes
Pownall noted that the government has launched a consultation to close loopholes in the Hunting Act. While fox hunting is banned in England, campaigners have long criticized the law for allowing trail hunting, where dogs follow a laid scent trail, usually of fox urine, instead of a live fox. Pownall said that despite pledges to remove this loophole, there is 'no clarity' on whether changes will end hunting wild animals.
'We cannot afford to sit back, hope for the best, and allow this issue to quietly fade away,' he added. 'This by-election provides a national platform to raise these concerns, to pressure the government to finally end hunting as quickly as possible, and to send that message directly to the man who could become the next Prime Minister.'
Andy Burnham's Ambitions
By 'next Prime Minister,' Pownall means Burnham, the Greater Manchester mayor who is hoping to fill the seat left by Labour MP Josh Simons, who stepped down earlier this month. Burnham being elected as an MP is a key step in the long road to becoming prime minister, a role that Keir Starmer is facing calls to resign from after his party's disastrous results in the local elections.
Pownall's Political History
Pownall is no stranger to politics or sweaty animal suits. He previously stood in the May Scottish parliament elections dressed as a giant gannet to bring attention to the guga hunt, a centuries-old tradition in northern Scotland that sees thousands of gannets being killed for their meat. The ceremony, which takes place every year on the remote rocky island of Sula Sgeir, is permitted by a little-known exemption in Scottish law.
Protect the Wild said in a blog post: 'Only a few months ago, it felt like hardly anyone knew that the Guga hunt was happening in Scotland. But our election campaign has received widespread media coverage that has propelled it into the spotlight.' Despite the attention, Pownall failed to win the Edinburgh Central seat, scoring just 41 votes and losing to Green candidate Lorna Slater.
