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PRIVACY

Tories quietly ditch manifesto promise to ban bloodthirsty ivory trade that kills thousands of elephants a year

David Cameron pledged a "total ban on ivory sales" if he won in 2015 but there is no mention of this in the Conservatives' latest general election manifesto

Elephants are being massacred in their thousands for their tusks(FGetty)

The Tories have quietly scrapped their plans for a total ban on the bloodthirsty ivory trade in the UK.

In a move likely to enrage conservationists, the Conservative manifesto for the 2017 general election makes no mention of the ivory trade.

But David Cameron won power just two years ago after promising to "press for a total ban on ivory sales".

One elephant in Africa is slaughtered every 15 minutes for its tusks and a third of the population has been wiped out over the last decade.

Prince William has backed calls for a ban on ivory sales, saying he is “not prepared to be part of a generation that lets these iconic species disappear from the wild”.

There is no mention of ivory in Theresa May's 2017 manifesto(PA)

Environment Secretary Andrea Leadsom launched plans last September to make all ivory goods carved after 1947 illegal - a move that stopped short of a complete ban.

Critics claimed this shift was down to lobbying by the powerful and wealthy antique dealing industry.

And there is no commitment on ivory at all in the new Conservative manifesto unveiled on Thursday - but the document does contain a pledge to have a vote on bringing back fox hunting.