Can Emma Slawinski Save the League Against Cruel Sports?

With a new CEO and trustees in place, the League Against Cruel Sports has one last chance to return to its ethical roots — if it confronts the dysfunction allowed to fester.

There was a time when the League Against Cruel Sports was feared by hunters, respected by allies, and trusted by supporters. Its investigations exposed cruelty. Its campaigns forced government action. Its ethics were non-negotiable.

Today? A League Director attended hunt fundraisers — and not one of his fellow directors or trustees raised a word of protest.

This is the same League that was founded in 1925 by people who dedicated their lives — often without hope of seeing success in their lifetime — to the moral and political fight against hunting. They gave their time, their energy, and their money to an organisation that stood for principle above popularity.

Now, a senior figure attends fundraising events organised by those who glorify stag hunting, and the rest of the leadership stays silent. No apology. No disciplinary action. No sense of shame. Nothing better illustrates how far the League has lost its moral compass.

But in March 2025, something shifted. A new CEO, Emma Slawinski, took charge. She was joined by three newly co-opted trustees: Neil Moulding, Hannah Carter, and Daniel Dickson-Hope. This new leadership team might — just might — have the will to clean house. They’ll need it. Because the mess is deep.

1. The Knott Legal Dispute: Truth Must Come First

Former CEO Andy Knott is suing the League for more than £3 million, citing wrongful dismissal and loss of income. It’s already proving costly. The League has lost the first part of the case — the PILON hearing — and is now liable for legal fees. The judgement revealed a senior management team acting with spite, incompetence, and total disregard for charity funds.

Worse, the League has yet to confirm whether it is still paying legal costs for Dan Norris, who resigned again as Chair following his April 2025 arrest. Supporters deserve to know whether their money is still being used to protect the reputations of those no longer fit to serve.

The charity needs to come clean — and fast.

2. Rebuilding Respect for Members and Donors

The League’s treatment of its members has gone from careless to contemptuous.

In July 2024, the trustees again co-opted Dan Norris as Chair — even though they knew he had failed to fulfil his duties during his previous tenure. As revealed by Private Eye, Norris delegated key trustee responsibilities to his mayoral special adviser, Alex Mayer. The trustees knew this and still brought him back.

Chris Luffingham, then Acting CEO, endorsed the reappointment without declaring his own connection to Dan Norris — including funding directed to Trinity Community Arts, Bristol, where both had links. That alone should have triggered alarm bells.

Then came the cancelled AGM — a decision made at the last minute, costing the League over £30,000, with no explanation offered. The same silence surrounded the sudden scrapping of Baronfest, another major event. Once again, donors paid the price.

And let’s be clear: this money hasn’t been spent on protecting wildlife. It’s gone into self-inflicted legal battles, enabled by a board unwilling to hold anyone to account.

3. Top-Heavy Leadership: Restructure or Stagnate

The League is drowning in management.

With just 40 staff left (down from nearly 60 in 2022), it still pays its CEO over £110,000 a year — one of the highest proportional salaries in the animal charity sector. But the real absurdity? It has a Deputy CEO post, despite being a small organisation with a singular, focused remit.

To put it plainly: there is no justification for having both a CEO and Deputy CEO at the League. It adds layers of control without adding competence.

While front-line campaigners are stretched thin and sanctuaries face hunt trespass with no support, those at the top have been rewarded with inflated salaries and vague job titles. It’s become a charity that serves career progression, not animals.

This isn’t Emma’s doing — she inherited the structure. But she must now dismantle it.

4. Rebuilding Bridges With the Wider Movement

Under policies introduced by Chris Luffingham, the League has adopted a hostile, insular approach to other anti-hunting organisations.

The Hunt Saboteurs Association has outstripped the League in credibility, experience, and impact. Online local anti-hunt groups now out-campaign the League, whose own social media output is increasingly derivative, often echoing grassroots work without acknowledgement.

Emma has a clear choice: double down on isolation, or build bridges with the groups actually winning this fight. She must look beyond the boardroom and collaborate with the anti-hunt movement — not compete with it.

5. Campaigns That Embarrass, Not Persuade

Remember when League campaigns led to national press, parliamentary debate, and genuine change?

Last year, during the fox cub hunting season — a time when young foxes are torn apart by hounds to ‘blood’ them — the League launched… a mascot stunt.

“Someone in a fox costume stood in town centres midweek while staff snapped a few photos for social media,” one staffer told us.

That was it.

No press, no investigations, no footage. Just content. The horror of cub hunting was reduced to a costumed selfie opportunity. A decade ago, that campaign would never have made it out of the planning room.

6. The Right People Around Her

Emma’s ability to lead will depend not only on her strategy, but on who surrounds her.

While Chris Luffingham held the role of Acting CEO (from March 2024 to March 2025), nearly 25% of staff chose to leave. That’s an astonishing churn — and a devastating loss of knowledge, experience and morale.

Those who remained spoke of a culture dominated by control rather than collaboration — where initiative was stifled, and promising ideas were quietly sidelined if they didn’t align with certain individuals’ personal agendas.

“There are people in senior roles who care more about making themselves untouchable than advancing the League’s aims,” one insider said.

If Emma wants to restore staff morale — and effectiveness — she must ensure that those responsible for toxicity are removed, not recycled.

Because when the right people are empowered — people who are motivated by compassion, integrity, and purpose — the results can be transformative. The League still has staff across its departments who are deeply committed to its founding mission. With a supportive culture, genuine teamwork, and principled leadership, they could once again turn the League into a campaigning force to be reckoned with..

This Is the Last Chance

The League’s founders believed in truth, action, and accountability. They didn’t tolerate fox hunting, and they didn’t tolerate excuses. The charity they built can still be rescued — but only if Emma and the new trustees confront the hard realities now.

They must:

• Clarify the circumstances surrounding Andy Knott’s departure — including the role of Dan Norris and any agreement with Steve Reed MP.
• Respect members by communicating openly;
• End the bloated, top-heavy management;
• Collaborate with real anti-hunt campaigners;
• Launch campaigns that matter — not gimmicks;
• Protect and empower the best of their staff.

We at Wildlife Betrayed believe the League can still be a force for wildlife. But we’ve also seen what happens when silence is allowed to rule.