Metro Mayor Dan Norris has criticised the Government for dropping plans to ban the import and sale of foie gras from the Queen's Speech, due on Tuesday.

The so called 'luxury' food is made by force-feeding ducks and geese to fatten their livers.

According to news reports, Cabinet ministers including Jacob Rees Mogg suggested that the move was "fundamentally unconservative".

The animal welfare measures would have been a part of the new Animals Abroad Bill. Campaigners say that foie gras production methods are cruel and inhumane. Once the birds are eight weeks old, they are force-fed for up to four weeks before being slaughtered. Workers shove long metal tubes down the birds' throats and pump their stomachs full of far more food than they would ever want to eat. This process, is repeated multiple times a day. The force-feeding causes the birds' livers to swell up to ten times their natural size. It can cause organ failure, injuries to the birds' beaks and throats, and pneumonia

Metro Mayor Dan Norris said: "Foie gras production is banned here and we should ban imports too. I'm Labour but it's utter rubbish that supporting animal welfare is "un-conservative". Plenty of local residents who don't share my views on party politics do share my view that how we treat animals is a mark of a civilised society. Mr Rees Mogg has got this one very wrong. Instead of backing cruel luxury food imports how about the government focus on supporting local producers to make good quality affordable Westcountry food."

Two bills which are expected to be announced - A bill is expected to push ahead with the privatisation of Channel 4 and a new crime bill to check whether companies registered actually exist.