Members of the Scottish Parliament last night voted to ban fox hunting by 83 to 30 votes following a six-hour debate.

The legislation could mean foxhunters imprisoned for up to six months or fined up to £5,000.

Labour MPs in Westminster are now set to demand a vote in England and Wales.

Forum Response: RSPCA

Phyllis Campbell-McRae, spokesman for Campaigning to Protect Hunted Animals at the RSPCA, told ePolitix.com: "Now that Scotland has voted to ban these cruel and unnecessary sports, it's imperative that the Westminster government acts to honour its own commitments, enabling parliament to resolve the hunting issue, in this session of Parliament.

"Failure to act would result in the ridiculous situation of banned Scottish hunters crossing the border to carry out their barbaric activities in England and Wales. The government should reintroduce the Hunting Bill as soon as possible and, this time, they should ensure that the will of Parliament is reflected in legislation. It's time for Tony Blair to deliver on his promises."

Forum Response: Countryside Alliance

Sam Butler, chairman of the Countryside Alliance Campaign for Hunting, told ePolitix.com: "The result merely confirms what we already knew - that this billis a disreputable shambles.

"It is not clear what the bill does. But what is clear is that the bill is a vindictive and shoddy piece of legislation which needlessly declares war on decent, hard-working people and seeks to put many of them out of work without a penny of compensation.

"This attempted infringement of human freedoms will be challenged in the Scottish courts as incompatible with the European Convention of Human Rights now enshrined in Scottish law".

Richard Burge, chief executive of the Countryside Alliance, told ePolitix.com: "This bill's sponsors long ago abandoned any pretence that it was about animal welfare.

"The bill is now revealed as a blatant attempt to seek to interfere with human thought and behaviour. Competent politicians should know better than to try to frame legislation that merely seeks to impose their own personal opinion on the community - and especially on cultural minorities.

"That is why this bill was destined from the first to be an unworkable mess - and the lesson should not be lost on politicians beyond Scotland".

Forum Response: Animal Defenders

A spokesperson for Animal Defenders told ePolitix.com: "This is fantastic news. We must congratulate the MSPs for taking this courageous step. Now we just need Westminster to follow suit and then the government can start addressing the many other animal welfare issues that the public cares so passionately about."