Starting in 1949, there were a number of unsuccessful attempts to pass legislation banning hunting of fox and other animals with hounds; it was finally achieved under the Hunting Act of 2004.  

David Cameron, the new Conservative Prime Minister, had included the repeal of the 2004 Act as part of his party platform.  When it became apparent that the Conservatives had not  won the election outright and would need to form a coalition, there was some speculation that a vote on the 2004 Act would not be forthcoming.  The majority (26) of the Liberal Democrat MPs voted in favor of the Hunting ban, 18 were against it.  

The Liberal Democrats campaign included a proposed commission to protect animals and enforce the law, and the issue could be easily construed as a significant difference between the two parties.  Apparently the free vote will still be on the agenda.  

The Free Vote will allow the MPs to vote their personal opinion rather than their party line. Those in favor of the hunting ban are concerned that those who support repeal will force the vote through very quickly while many newly elected MPs have not yet learned the system; hunting groups public statements, however, do not seem to indicate such a rush to vote.  The Chairman of the Master of Foxhounds Association, as quoted in Horse and Hound, said that the vote would happen at some point in future but would be down in the list of priorities since there were many important issues being worked out by the new government.