The Conservative MP for Woking, Jonathan Lord, is under fire for voting against a new law to tackle pet theft.

In a vote in Parliament this time last week, Woking’s MP was among 354 Tories who blocked efforts to make pet theft a crime in its own right, with stiffer penalties for offenders. 

Under the current law, pets are treated as property, with no distinction between a family’s beloved dog and a stolen bike.  Meanwhile, pet theft is up 250% in the past year as the value of pets has soared during lockdown.

I do not think pets are property – they are so much more and the law should reflect that.  We need bigger fines and tougher sentences to deter criminals who currently see pet theft as an easy option, with the monetary value of pets rising and the chance of conviction shockingly low.

So it was very disappointing that Conservative MPs, including Woking’s MP, voted against a pet theft law.  They should listen to families that have suffered the heartbreak of having a beloved pet taken from them.  They would see the devastation and recognise the urgent need to make this a specific offence with tougher sentences to deter criminals from targeting animals that are, for many, a part of the family.