Nickie Aiken, Member of Parliament for the Cities of London & Westminster, joined colleagues to sit on the Animal Sentience Bill Committee in Parliament and make the case to enhance animal welfare.
The UK continues to lead the way on animal welfare and this Bill implements the Government's commitment to ensure that, in law, animals are recognised as sentient beings and that the needs of animals have been considered in policy.
Following the appalling film of West Ham footballer Kurt Zouma, during the debate Nickie expressed whether the RSPCA should consider inviting him to animal welfare training to prove animal sentience.
During the debate, Nickie expressed,
"I thank my honourable Friend for giving way. I welcome this Bill and I am very proud to be sitting on this Bill Committee today. The Bill is proportionate, timely, and targeted, and it shows how important it is because the public does believe in animal welfare.
"Does my honourable Friend agree with me that because the public believe passionately in animal welfare, that the justified outpouring of revulsion at the recent films by West Ham footballer Kurt Zouma shows that it should be that the RSPCA should perhaps consider inviting him to animal welfare training to prove animal sentience."
Minister for Animal Welfare, Jo Churchill MP, replied,
"I thank the honourable Member for her intervention and I would join her in being pretty appalled by some of what we have seen. But I would agree that the public care highly about animal welfare."
