Neil Duncan-Jordan defends vote against protest ban at animal testing sites

Neil Duncan-Jordan MP has defended voting against the Government after he was one of 26 Labour MPs to vote against a proposal to restrict protest at animal testing sites.

The Government passed legislation redefining “life sciences infrastructure” - including animal testing facilities - as “key national infrastructure” which could see animal welfare activists jailed for up to a year or hit with unlimited fines for protesting at animal testing facilities.

Opposing the measures during a debate in Parliament, Duncan-Jordan highlighted the “profound implications” for civil liberties, arguing that life sciences facilities did not meet “any reasonable definition of key national infrastructure”.

Duncan-Jordan has spoken in favour of animal welfare since being elected as MP, most notably leading the campaign in Parliament to strengthen the Hunting Act, organising a joint letter signed by over 60 Parliamentarians calling for urgent action to stop fox hunting last year.

Duncan-Jordan welcomed the Government’s recent animal welfare strategy, including plans to ban trail hunting, puppy farms, and shock collars, but said his constituents "feel let down" by the proposed ban on protesting at animal testing sites.

"The plans to classify animal testing facilities as 'key national infrastructure' simply don’t stand up to scrutiny," he said.

He claimed the the proposal treats private-owned companies the "same as airports, motorways, and utilities" and "shields private profits from fair criticism and puts them above a right to protest".