A claim that the Government is still seeking to avoid a total ban on foxhunting was greeted with anger and skepticism by North pro-hunt campaigners last night.

Rural Affairs Minister Alun Michael said the Government still hopes for some sort of compromise which would allow the issue to be resolved in a "less confrontational" way.

He called on peers to engage with the Hunting Bill when it is debated in the House of Lords tomorrow and propose changes to the all-out ban approved by the Commons.

Mr Michael acknowledged that any amendments by the Lords would face opposition in the Commons - which has repeatedly voted by large majorities for a ban - and said it was "getting rather late for agreement" to be reached.

Prime Minister Tony Blair has promised a resolution of the issue before the end of this Parliament, but is understood to prefer a compromise to allow some licensed hunts.

But the Government has indicated the Parliament Act will be used to enforce the will of the Commons if peers attempt to thwart the Bill.

Yesterday Mr Michael insisted that any invocation of the Act would be a case of the Commons - and not the Government or the PM - wielding its power over the Lords.

He said: "It is getting rather late, but it is time for the House of Lords to engage with the Bill, amend it in the way they think it should be and send it back (to the Commons).

"The Government is very keen to see a way through that is less confrontational. Of course, any changed Bill would have to win support in the Commons, and I hope the House of Lords will ... bear that in mind when they send an amended Bill back to the Commons."

Last night, regional director of the Countryside Alliance and Northumberland farmer Richard Dodd said: "Ministers can say this sort of thing safely, to try to wriggle off the hook, knowing that many Labour backbenchers are fanatics about getting hunting banned. Miracles do happen but there are Labour MPs who got elected to Parliament with the sole purpose of getting hunting banned. There is always hope but they have had opportunities to agree something short of a total ban and have not taken them."

Master of the Tynedale Hunt Frank Houghton-Brown said: "It would be nice to see some sort of hope in the minister's comments but they have had chances to produce a compromise before and haven't done so. It is a weak excuse to suggest that Tony Blair is not in charge on this issue when he is supposed to be the boss."

Tens of thousands of hunting supporters have vowed to break the law and defy any outright ban on their sport, claiming it would be virtually impossible for police to enforce it.

But Mr Michael said: "Parliament needs to reach a conclusion on the issue. We want that to be done in a way that lowers the temperature, rather than increasing it."