THE Hunting Act could be repealed as part of a major Bill to scrap a vast swathe of Labour laws which impinge on civil liberty.

The Conservatives are considering the plan to avoid a repeat of the introduction of the ban on hunting with dogs, which took up 700 hours of parliamentary time and led to bloody demonstrations in Westminster.

Tory policy chief Oliver Letwin is understood to be "quite taken" by the idea of rolling the ban on hunting with dogs into a high-impact demolition of a number of perceived draconian laws.

Senior Conservatives are sensitive to the Labour charge that they are focusing too heavily on the issue of hunting, which remains a fringe issue nationally.

In the Westcountry, the issue could prove more contentious, with most rural seats contested by pro-hunt Conservatives up against Liberal Democrats who support keeping the ban.

A Repeal Bill could cover a number of laws which the Tories are committed to scrapping in a bid to rein in the reach of the state while avoiding having a major piece of legislation early in a Tory government just dealing with hunting.

It is thought other, more high-profile, civil liberties issues could be addressed in the same Bill, such as scrapping ID cards.

One Tory source said: "I don't think anyone wants it to be a standalone piece of legislation. It could be much less explosive if is was part of a broader Bill, not attracting so much attention to it.

"It would make hunting seem less like a number one burning issue for us."

Senior Conservatives are sensitive to the threat posed by animal welfare campaigners using their pledge for a free vote on the Hunting Act in the run-up to the General Election.

Labour activists launched a Fox in Parliament campaign to hammer home the claim that the Tories "show more concern about animal cruelty and minor issues of the day than issues around economic recovery and progressive political debate".

Campaign director Gary Hills said: "Labour has re affirmed its long-standing commitment to the hunting ban and unlike David Cameron is showing respect for the democratic majority, as shown in a recent YouGov poll in June, with approximately 75 per cent of the British public opposed to killing animals for fun."

Last month, it was claimed the Conservatives had begun drawing up plans to fully legalise hunting with dogs, including the creation of a dedicated body to police the practice.

It has been proposed that a Hunt Regulatory Authority be set up to oversee six key rules, including that hunting should avoid "unnecessary suffering", that animals and the environment must be respected and that "reasonable steps" be taken to ensure hunts had the landowner's permission to hunt.

Brian Fanshawe, a former master of foxhounds, told the Independent on Sunday that the scheme would be "absolutely essential" in any repeal of the Act.

Officially, the Conservatives are committed to holding a free vote on the repeal of the Hunting Act. But hunt supporters were given a boost when Shadow Foreign Secretary William Hague said it is a "bad law" which should be repealed.

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