Brian May calls on Parliament to halt badger cull

Queen guitarist Brian May has joined wildlife experts in Westminster to urge the government to abandon the next stage of the badger cull, which is due to resume this Autumn.>The scheme was trialled in Somerset, Gloucestershire and Dorset as part of efforts to fight TB in cattle. Natural England is now considering extending culling licences across nine counties including a few in the West Country.>Counties being considered for the licence:

• Cheshire

• Cornwall

• Devon

• Dorset

• Gloucestershire

• Herefordshire

• Somerset

• Wiltshire

• Worcestershire

The musician Brian May, who's been trying for years to change the badger cull policy, was in Westminster to unveil his latest campaign tool, a badger mosaic made up of tiny selfies of celebrities and members of the public opposed to the cull.

He hopes a new Prime Minister and perhaps a new Environment Secretary might take the opportunity to take a fresh look at this issue - the question is, with everything else there is to deal with, how high it will be on Theresa May's agenda.