Ian Botham is leading a formidable alliance of opponents to new laws recognising that animals have feelings, with the former cricketer joining forces with Tory donors and farming leaders to lobby against the proposed legislation. The Animal Welfare (Sentience) Bill would enshrine in law the principle that animals are sentient and would create an animal sentience committee to scrutinise whether Ministers had paid due regard to their policies' 'adverse effect on the welfare of animals'. But Lord Botham, a country sports enthusiast who was ennobled by Boris Johnson last year as a crossbench peer, has described it as 'bizarre' that...