You Saw Me On Have I Got News For You. Here’s Why I’m Standing Dressed as a Fox.

A few hours ago, millions of people watching Have I Got News For You were treated to the sight of me standing as a parliamentary candidate dressed as a giant fox.

The panel had a laugh and flashed up the photo.

What the programme didn’t explain, however, was the reason behind it.

So here it is.

And I write this knowing that, right now, thousands—perhaps tens of thousands—of curious viewers will be typing my name into Google and wondering why on earth I was standing there. If that’s how you’ve ended up here, this article should answer your question.

I’m not standing in this by-election because I think I’m going to become the next MP.

I’m standing because animals don’t get a vote.

For decades, foxes, deer, hares, badgers and countless other wild animals have suffered while politicians make promises, launch consultations, and then quietly kick meaningful action further down the road.

When I stood in the Scottish Parliament election dressed as a giant gannet, it was to draw attention to the annual Guga hunt. This time, I’m standing as a fox because foxes have become the symbol of one of the longest-running animal welfare failures in modern British politics: the failure to properly end hunting with hounds.

More than twenty years after the Hunting Act was passed, hunts are still operating across the country every week.

The current Government came into office promising change for animals. Yet we’ve already seen a series of disappointing reversals. Plans to ban trophy hunting imports have been abandoned. Promised action on foie gras imports has disappeared. Badger culling has been extended despite previous commitments suggesting a different direction.

Now the Government is consulting on the future of hunting.

That’s welcome. But consultation alone is not enough.

There is still no clear commitment to removing all of the loopholes and exemptions that allow hunts to continue operating. There is still no clear timetable for legislation. And there is still uncertainty about whether the Government will deliver the comprehensive reform that animals desperately need.

That is why I am standing. Not because I expect to win. Not because I want a political career.

But because by-elections create something campaigners rarely get: a national platform.

They force journalists, politicians and voters to talk about issues that would otherwise be ignored. If dressing as a giant fox helps put hunting back into the national conversation, then it’s done its job.

And if even a small number of people who saw that image on Have I Got News For You go on to support stronger protections for wildlife, take part in the Government’s consultation, or join the campaign to end hunting for good, then it was worth every second spent wearing the costume.

The fox costume might look ridiculous.

The fact that we’re still having to campaign for a genuine end to hunting in 2026 is far more ridiculous.

If you haven’t yet responded to the Government’s consultation on hunting, please take a moment to do so using our handy tool. It only takes a few seconds, and together we can help ensure that this time the Government finally delivers the change that animals have been waiting decades for.

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We want to do more of this. More ideas that cut through. More ways of reaching the mainstream. More moments that force people to stop, question, and learn, especially when it comes to protecting wildlife.

If you like the sound of that, I would really appreciate it if you chucked in a few pounds each month to support our ongoing work fighting for British wildlife.