Any delay caused by the fox-hunting issue could wreck the Bill, which introduces the right to roam over mountain, moorland and heath and has safeguards for wildlife.

Gordon Prentice wants Tony Blair to fulfil his pledge to ban hunting

Tony Blair pledged to ban hunting in a BBC interview last year and repeated the promise at the Labour Party Conference in Bournemouth.

Mr Prentice confirmed he has spoken to Environment Ministers Michael Meacher and Chris Mullin about his proposal.

He said: "It is no secret that Michael Meacher and Chris Mullin fear it will completely derail the Bill.

"My response to that is 'fair enough, but let's have another alternative which is a government Bill'.

"We have a colossal majority in the Commons and a Prime Minister who has gone public and said he wants to ban hunting.

Protests

"But people who don't understand the arcane procedures of Westminster are completely non-plussed by this."

Tony Blair's promise to ban hunting prompted the pro-hunting Countryside Alliance to stage a nationwide series of protest rallies and marches.

Two private members bills - by Labour MP Mike Foster and Independent MP Ken Livingstone - failed under the Commons procedure rules.

Anti-hunt demonstrators protest outside the Houses of Parliament

Liberal Democrat animal welfare spokesman Norman Baker MP said: "The reason we are in this mess is because the Labour Government has not taken forward legislation to enact the will of Parliament.

"MPs have been crystal clear that they want hunting banned.

"It is the Government that is risking the Countryside Bill and causing uncertainty. They should grasp the nettle and introduce a ban."

The report of an independent inquiry on hunting is expected to be submitted to Home Secretary Jack Straw next week.

Anti-hunt campaigners kept up pressure on the government for a ban by holding a demonstration on Wednesday outside the House of Commons.

Many anti-hunt campaigners claimed that the Burns inquiry was heavily biased in favour of hunting, both in terms of its composition and methodology.

The National Anti-Hunt Campaign boycotted the inquiry because it claimed that four out of five team members had links with hunting.