XL Bully dogs to be banned
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak says they will be banned by the end of the year
Last updated 15th Sep 2023
The Prime Minister has said XL bully dogs will be banned after a series of attacks.
Rishi Sunak described the breed as " a danger to our communities, particularly our children".
The breed isn't officially defined so that will need to happen first, but the PM said new laws banning the dog would be in place by the end of they year.
An attack on an 11 year-old-girl in Birmingham recently has led to calls for the breed to be banned.
Outlining plans to ban the XL bully dog breed in a video statement posted to X, formerly known as Twitter, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said: “The American XL bully dog is a danger to our communities, particularly our children.
“I share the nation’s horror at the recent videos we’ve all seen. Yesterday we saw a another suspected XL bully dog attack, which has tragically led to a fatality.
“It is clear this is not about a handful of badly trained dogs, it’s a pattern of behaviour and it cannot go on.
“While owners already have a responsibility to keep their dogs under control, I want to reassure people that we are urgently working on ways to stop these attacks and protect the public.
“Today I have tasked ministers to bring together police and experts, to firstly define the breed of dog behind these attacks, with the view to then outlawing it.
“It is not currently a breed defined in law, so this vital first step must happen fast.
“We will then ban the breed under the Dangerous Dogs Act and new laws will be in place by the end of the year.
“These dogs are dangerous, I want to reassure the public that we will take all necessary steps to keep people safe.”
Earlier today it was announced a man died in Staffordshire after being attacked by two dogs, although it's not yet known the breed of the dogs involved.