What WILL Carrie think? Boris backs continuing to use real bearskin for troops’ iconic busby hats because ‘man-made fur did not meet the standards required’

• Leaked email showed Boris Johnson grilled by constituent on famous troop hats
• Animal rights campaigners have been pushing to replace bearskin with faux fur
• But the proposed man-made material was rejected by the Ministry of Defence
• Mr Johnson said in an email ‘man-made fur did not meet the standards required’ 

Boris Johnson has backed continuing to use real bearskin to make the iconic hats worn by the Queen’s Guard. 

Animal rights campaigners, including the PETA UK group, have long pushed for the Ministry of Defence to switch to using man-made material instead of the pelts of Canadian black bears.  

But the MOD announced in December last year that faux fur did not meet its performance requirements and real fur would continue to be used. 

A leaked email, obtained by LBC Radio, showed Mr Johnson was grilled by one of his Uxbridge constituents on the matter. 

The PM said ‘the man-made fur did not meet the standards required’ but insisted ‘all these matters are kept under review’. 

The decision to stick with the real fur is unlikely to have been well received by Mr Johnson’s wife, Carrie, who is a passionate environmentalist and has campaigned to end trophy hunting.

Animal rights campaigners, including the PETA UK group, have long pushed for the Ministry of Defence to switch to using man-made material for the hats instead of the pelts of Canadian black bears

Boris Johnson has backed continuing to use real bearskin to make the iconic hats worn by the Queen’s Guard

PETA UK named Mrs Johnson as its ‘Person of the Year’ in 2020, describing her as a ‘fearless force for good when it comes to making the world a kinder place for animals’. 

Mrs Johnson tweeted in 2019: ‘There is no excuse for trophy hunting. I’ve heard all sorts of attempts to defend it on tenuous conservation grounds. That’s rubbish.’   

The email published by LBC Radio showed Mr Johnson had been contacted by a constituent who requested a meeting ‘to discuss the Queen’s Guard’s use of bearskin for their ceremonial caps’.

The response from Mr Johnson, sent in December 2021, said: ‘As you may be aware, the Ministry of Defence recently conducted tests on a fake fur fabric commissioned by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) as a potential alternative to the existing bear pelts used to make the Queen’s Guard’s ceremonial caps.

‘This material was assessed against five requirements and, as I understand it, while it met the basic standard for water absorption, it showed unacceptable rates of water shedding and performed poorly on visual assessment.

‘Sadly, as the man-made fur did not meet the standards required for a ceremonial cap which is worn throughout the year and in all weathers, the Ministry of Defence has no plans at present to take this man-made fabric forward. However, all these matters are kept under review.’

PETA UK has argued there is ‘no reason the MoD shouldn’t switch to the new animal-friendly equivalent’. 

The MOD said in December last year that it will continue to use real bearskin for the hats.   

PETA UK named Mrs Johnson as its ‘Person of the Year’ in 2020, describing her as a ‘fearless force for good when it comes to making the world a kinder place for animals’

Tourists visiting London flock to see the Guards in their traditional hats, which have been worn since the 1815 defeat of Napoleon.

The ceremonial headdress can only be worn by foot soldiers in certain regiments, including the Grenadier Guards, the Coldstream Guards, the Scots Guards, the Irish Guards and the Welsh Guards.

The hats are made from the fur of Canadian wild black bears, which are culled to keep numbers down. 

An Army spokesman said last December: ‘The bearskins worn by the Guards are part of our proud military history and identity. There are no suitable alternatives.’  

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