Home Secretary Suella Braverman is pushing for a ban on American XL bully dogs, arguing they are a "clear and lethal danger" – particularly to children.
The Cabinet minister announced she has commissioned "urgent advice" on outlawing the dogs after an 11-year-old girl was attacked in Birmingham. Ms Braverman seized on news that West Midlands Police were investigating after the girl and two men who intervened were injured in the incident in the Bordesley Green area on Saturday.
Taking to social media, Ms Braverman said: "This is appalling. The American XL Bully is a clear and lethal danger to our communities, particularly to children.
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"We can't go on like this. I have commissioned urgent advice on banning them." There are concerns over the feasibility of such a ban within the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), which is responsible for the banned breeds list.
The advice was commissioned last week, an adviser said, with Defra being responsible for adding the breed to the banned list.
There are currently four banned breeds of dog in the UK: the pit bull terrier, Japanese tosa, dogo Argentino and fila Brasileiro. As the American XL bully is not recognised as a specific breed by the Kennel Club, it could be hard to define which means a ban could inadvertently outlaw a range of other dogs.
However, animal charities including the RSPCA have been pushing for an end to breed-specific bans which they say work against dogs perceived to be "dangerous" and lead to thousands of "innocent" animals being put down. Instead, they want to focus on individual actions and dangerous owners.
A Dogs Trust spokesman said: "Dogs Trust wants to see the current dog control laws replaced with one consolidated law that allows for early intervention with a focus on the prevention of dog bite incidents and includes measures that deter and punish owners of dogs whose behaviour is dangerous.
"We will continue to look for reform in existing dog control laws until we are satisfied that any new measures are preventative, breed-neutral and effective, and ultimately protect both dogs and people alike."
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