Dan Norris Arrested – League Against Cruel Sports Faces Serious Questions

The arrest of Labour MP Dan Norris on suspicion of rape and historic child sex offences has raised urgent questions – not only for the Labour Party, but for the trustees of the League Against Cruel Sports, the national animal welfare charity he chairs.

Norris, who last year defeated Jacob Rees-Mogg to become MP for North East Somerset & Hanham, was taken into custody on Friday following a raid on his constituency home. He has since been released on conditional bail. Police say the investigation relates to non-recent child sex offences against a girl, alleged to have taken place mainly in the 2000s, and include an accusation of rape in the 2020s.

He has been suspended by the Labour Party while investigations continue. But while the political fallout will be considerable, especially for a party already facing scrutiny over vetting failures, another question deserves attention: why was Norris reappointed last year as Chair of the League Against Cruel Sports, despite growing concerns about his conduct, accountability, and conflicts of interest?

“A Culture of Cronyism”

The League is one of Britain’s most prominent anti-hunting charities. Founded in 1925, it once commanded wide public respect for its campaigns against bloodsports. But in recent years, critics – including former staff and whistleblowers – have accused its leadership of fostering a culture of opacity, mismanagement, and personal empire-building.

At the centre of this is Dan Norris, whose tenure as Chair of Trustees has long drawn internal dissent. He was reappointed to the board and then elevated again to Chair in 2024 — a move believed to have been orchestrated by the weak trustees, including Astrid Clifford, and strongly supported by the League’s Deputy CEO, Chris Luffingham, whose own ambitions to become CEO were widely known within the organisation.

“The trustees didn’t challenge it,” said one former League insider. “They nodded it through. There was no scrutiny of Dan’s record, just a desire to protect the status quo — and to protect Chris.”

Despite being largely absent from the League’s activities — save for a few social media posts featuring his dog Alfred — Norris’s reappointment was pushed through with little apparent concern for public optics or performance. Critics say this decision reflected a wider pattern: the consolidation of power by a small clique of insiders, often at the expense of good governance and genuine commitment to animal welfare.

Lack of Oversight

At a time when the public is demanding more from charities in terms of integrity, accountability and ethical leadership, the League Against Cruel Sports appears to have moved in the opposite direction.

Trustees with little or no anti-hunting background have been appointed based on personal or political connections. Some have been publicly criticised for their social media behaviour, while others are rarely seen engaging with the charity’s day-to-day work. Meanwhile, major events such as the League’s AGM and Barons Fest have been cancelled without explanation, fuelling concerns among donors and members about a lack of transparency.

That Norris, a sitting MP under active investigation for such serious allegations, was allowed to remain in post for so long — even being reappointed — raises serious questions for the charity’s board and its governance culture. Under Charity Commission guidance, trustees must act in the best interests of the charity and protect its reputation. Reappointing a politically exposed individual with known performance concerns appears to run counter to that duty.

A Failure of Leadership

This scandal does not sit in isolation. It forms part of a wider pattern across civil society where roles of power — whether in charities, parties, or campaigns — are treated as personal fiefdoms rather than public responsibilities.

There is a painful irony in the fact that Norris, a man once praised for his work as a child protection officer, now finds himself under investigation for child sexual offences. But the deeper scandal is institutional: that a major UK charity, entrusted with protecting animals from cruelty, failed to protect itself — and its supporters — from a deeply compromised leader.

If there is any hope to be salvaged from this moment, it lies in what happens next. Will the League conduct a thorough, independent review of how Norris came to hold such influence? Will trustees be held to account? Will political affiliations continue to determine who leads Britain’s charities?

Not Charged – But Already a Liability

Although Dan Norris has been arrested on suspicion of serious offences, it is important to note that he has not been charged — let alone convicted — and is entitled to the presumption of innocence. However, long before these allegations came to light, his controversial leadership at the West of England Combined Authority and his underwhelming first term as Chair of the League Against Cruel Sports raised serious questions about his suitability for such a role. That trustees invited his reappointment, reportedly with the backing of Deputy CEO Chris Luffingham, represents a serious failure of judgement. In doing so, they have not only undermined the League’s credibility but risked further damaging public confidence in the very institution they were entrusted to protect.