Live updates as American XL Bully dogs to be banned by end of year

The American XL bully dog is to be banned by the end of the year following a spate of attacks, it has been announced. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak made the announcement on Friday saying the dog was "a danger to our communities, particularly our children."

The news comes after a former police chief called for a national amnesty of the dogs after a recent attack left an 11-year-old girl with serious injuries. There have been a number of fatal or serious attacks involving the dogs in recent years. A mum whose son was killed by a seven-stone American XL Bully in Caperhilly said she was "sobbing" at the news.

In a video statement posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, Mr Sunak said: “It is clear this is not about a handful of badly trained dogs, it’s a pattern of behaviour and it cannot go on. While owners already have a responsibility to keep their dogs under control, I want to reassure people that we are urgently working on ways to stop these attacks and protect the public. Today I have tasked ministers to bring together police and experts, to firstly define the breed of dog behind these attacks, with the view to then outlawing it."

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