Parliamentarians hand in cross-party letter calling for a timeline to end animal experiments

Baroness Jenny Jones, Mary Kelly Foy MP, Baroness Natalie Bennett, Adrian Ramsay MP, Irene Campbell MP, Louie French MP, Public Affairs Director Isobel Martin and trustee Anna Firth

On Tuesday July 22, eight Members of Parliament and Peers from across the political spectrum gathered in Parliament Square ahead of the hand-in of the cross-party letter calling for the Government to take bold and transformative action to end animal experiments in medical research.

The cross-party letter, addressed to the three Ministers overseeing the Government’s forthcoming strategy on non-animal scientific methods, has been supported by over 60 parliamentarians and celebrities. Dame Joanna Lumley, Alan Cumming, Will Young, Diane Morgan, Deborah Meaden, Carol Royle and Kirsty Gallacher all endorsed the letter 

The letter highlights growing the global momentum away from animal testing, pointing to recent policy developments in the United States and European Union. Parliamentarians and celebrities warn that without decisive action, the UK risks falling behind in the global race to harness the scientific and economic opportunities offered by innovative, non-animal research.  

Douglas McAllister MP, Irene Campbell MP, Public Affairs Director Isobel Martin, Adrian Ramsay MP and trustee Anna Firth

The letter, which can be seen below, calls on the Government to immediately halt new licenses for experiments involving dogs, cats and non-human primates and invest in alternatives to ensure these experiments are not replaced with tests on other species.  

Following the meeting on Parliament Square, several Parliamentarians joined us in the short walk over to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology to hand-in the letter.  

A big thank you to Irene Campbell MP, Adrian Ramsay MP, Baroness Natalie Bennett, Baroness Jenny Jones, Alex Easton MP, Mary Kelly Foy MP, Louie French MP & Douglas McAllister MP for taking the time on a very busy day in Parliament to come to Parliament Square to show your support for a world where human diseases are cured faster with animal-free human-specific technologies.