Animal Welfare Party

Animal Welfare Party (AWP) is a minor political party in the United Kingdom campaigning on an animal rights, environment and health platform.

The party aims to bring attention to animal welfare, environmental and health issues, in a manner similar to its Dutch equivalent, Partij voor de Dieren (Party for the Animals), for which the AWP founder, Jasmijn de Boo, stood in the 2004 European elections. Both de Boo and the current leader, Vanessa Hudson, have likened the AWP to the anti-slavery and universal suffrage movements. The party says it has more than 100 members and over 14,000 supporters, mainly in London and Wales.

History

The party was founded in December 2006 by Jasmijn de Boo, a Dutch national, of Kennington, London, and Shaun Rutherford of Milford Haven, Wales, as Animals Count!. The party was registered with the Electoral Commission on 22 January 2007.

In October 2010, the party elected a new leader, Vanessa Hudson, whose aims are to increase awareness of the party and to expand its membership. In 2013, the party changed its name from Animals Count! to the Animal Welfare Party.