Duke steps up pressure for British ban on ivory sales

SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT THE Duke of Cambridge will intensify the pressure on politicians to ban the sale of ivory this week, as senior Tories demand Theresa May acts now to protect elephants and rhinos.

The Duke will make a speech on Thursday, expressing his determination to help save endangered African wildlife. While he is expected to avoid criticising the Government, the Duke will win praise from leading Conservatives who want Mrs May to do more.

At last year’s general election, the Tories promised action to ban all ivory sales although this pledge has not yet been implemented.

The proposal has been criticised by antique dealers, who say it will put them out of business.

However, senior Conservative figures, including Lord Hague, the former Foreign Secretary, and Owen Paterson, the former Environment Secretary, are now demanding that ministers act urgently to fulfil their election pledge.

Mr Paterson is calling on the Prime Minister to announce a ban on ivory sales in Britain ahead of an international conservation summit this month.

On average, an elephant is killed every 15 minutes for its ivory. The elephant population has fallen by almost a third in Africa since 2007. Tackling the illegal wildlife trade is a long-standing passion for the Duke. He is patron of Tusk, a charity that campaigns for governments to protect African wildlife and help alleviate poverty.

He will address an event in London hosted by Tusk this week. His speech will be broadcast live to audiences in Tokyo and Johannesburg.

Speaking last year, the Duke said: “Let us not tell our children the sad tale of how we watched as the last elephants, rhinos and tigers died out, but the inspiring story of how we turned the tide and preserved them for all humanity.”

He has indicated his support for a UK ban on ivory sales, arguing that the “root of the illegal wildlife trade” is “the demand for products that require the deaths of tens of thousands of these animals every year, pushing them further towards extinction”.

Charlie Mayhew, chief executive of Tusk, said the event this week would give the Duke the opportunity to make the case for global action ahead of a critical international summit later this month.

The CITES conference in South Africa will discuss action to protect endangered species, although it is not yet clear whether a deal on banning domestic ivory markets will be possible.

“The British Government can’t avoid [a ban] any longer,” Mr Mayhew said.