I have some brilliant news!

This month Michael Gove announced a new Bill to ban the use of wild animals in traveling circuses. This is a wonderful development and I have no doubt it is partly down to all of you tweeting him and DEFRA the week before.

However, we must remain cautious as it hasn't been ratified yet... only moved to the second reading. In other words, it is not actually law yet, which is our ultimate goal.

We've made huge progress and have taken a giant leap forward, yet we're not all the way there. As a result, I will not be removing this petition until it is a legal requirement to remove animals from circuses in the UK. I'm sure you'll agree that it's important we maintain the pressure and so we'll still be handing this petition in as planned (that is unless there's a sudden development).

As always, thank you for your support and your passion on this issue - it is appreciated beyond words.