Stars back MPs' calls to close animal-testing lab

DAME Joanna Lumley and Chris Packham have been joined by Labour MPs to demand the Home Secretary closes an animal testing laboratory.

- BY STEPH SPYRO

Protest against the testing of beagle dogs at the MBR Acres laboratory

MPs approved a ban on protests outside animal testing labs and other “life sciences infrastructure” earlier this year, including at MBR Acres in Cambs.

But an open letter to Shabana Mahmood calls for her to “step up and do the right thing” by shutting the facility, where beagles are bred for research.

It added: “The United Kingdom is a nation of animal lovers. We are home to the world’s oldest animal charity, the RSPCA, and nearly 40% of our households count a dog as a family member.