​A Conservative pledge to give MPs a vote to repeal the hunting ban has been shelved indefinitely, according to reports.

In the run-up to the election, David Cameron pledged that MPs would be given a free vote on whether or not to repeal Labour’s controversial ban, which he described as a “bad piece of legislation”.

The pledge was included in the coalition agreement with the Liberal Democrats.

But officials stressed that an immediate vote was unlikely because of the pressing need to deal with the economic crisis.

Now it appears the vote has been shelved indefinitely, amid growing concern among hunt supporters that they may not have the Parliamentary numbers to win.

The influential Tory 1922 committee, which represents backbenchers, is understood to have advised members not to try to push through a vote independently, according to the Daily Mail.

Hunt supporters are continuing to lobby on the issue in the hope of persuading wavering MPs to back their cause.

However, it is possible that a vote will not be held before the election planned for 2015.

A pro-hunting source told the Daily Mail that the balance of support for hunting in the Commons was now “too close to call”.

He said hunts were relaxed about the prospect of a long delay – not least because the existing law has proved ineffective.

He added: “We want the ban lifted, make no mistake. But people have come to an accommodation with the law that works and are prepared to wait until the time is right to sort it out once and for all.”

Although hunting with dogs has been illegal since February 2005, the ban has been widely criticised as ineffective and has led to only a handful of successful prosecutions.

Weeks before the election, Mr Cameron pledged to order a free vote on decriminalising hunting with dogs if he won the election. He admitted some Tory MPs support Labour’s ban but voiced his support for reversing it.