For the third time during the present Labour government in Britain, MPs and peers will vote on a ban on hunting with dogs, setting the stage for another spectacular clash at Westminster. Since last year's election win, Labour's anti-hunt MPs have increased pressure on ministers to resolve the issue in England and Wales.
The Scottish parliament's ban on hunting has also added to demands for another debate. A free vote on three options - to retain hunting, to ban it entirely or to adopt a "middle way" whereby hunts would be licensed - will take place in the Commons on March 18th.
Yesterday's announcement of the vote by the Commons leader, Mr Robin Cook, will pit the two chambers against each other once more. The Commons is likely to repeat last year's overwhelming vote in favour but the Lords, where Labour does not have a majority, is divided on the issue and voted to allow hunting before parliamentary time ran out in the run-up to the election. If there is no compromise, the government is likely to push through a ban.
The Tory Lords' leader, Lord Strathclyde, dismissed the vote as a "ploy" to divert attention from Labour's "immense" troubles.