Britain will ban the American Bully XL dog breed before the end of the year, Prime Minister Sunak announced Friday through his X account, following a series of attacks that have killed several people in the country, including a 17-month-old toddler and a 65-year-old grandmother. 

Mr. Sunak urged ministers on Friday to “define the breed of dog” behind the attacks “with a view to then outlawing it.” The announcement comes hours after the press confirmed the death of a 52-year-old man, who had been attacked by two of the dogs at the West Midlands region of England

“Yesterday we saw another suspected XL bully dog attack, which has tragically led to a fatality,” Mr. Sunak said. “It’s clear this is not about a handful of badly trained dogs. It’s a pattern of behavior, and it cannot go on.”

The XL bully is the biggest variant of the American bully breed. Its origins are believed to come from the crossing of American Pit Bull Terriers and American Staffordshire Terriers in the 1980s. Since then, it has crossed with other breeds that have enhanced the dog’s muscles. It can weigh up to more than 132 pounds and is not a recognized breed in the U.K. As a result, it has become popular as a fighting dog in Britain, where pit bulls and several other breeds of fighting dogs are banned.

The United Kennel Club in America says despite its “powerful appearance,” an American bully is an “excellent family dog” that is “gentle and friendly.” It also says aggressiveness toward humans “is uncharacteristic of the breed and highly undesirable.”

The American Bully is not recognized as a breed by the United Kingdom’s main dog associations, including the Kennel Club. The breed is currently banned in Turkey and the United Arab Emirates. In Ireland, the American Bully is required to be muzzled and on a lead in public. 

American bullies have been linked to several attacks across the United Kingdom. An 11-year-old girl was attacked by an American bully XL at Birmingham on Saturday. In April, a 65-year-old grandmother was killed at Liverpool with “catastrophic injuries.” In 2022, a 17-year-old toddler died following the attack of one of her dogs in her own home at St. Helens. A 10-year-old boy, Jack Lis, died in 2021 at Wales from neck and head injuries caused by an American bully XL.

Following Mr. Sunak’s announcement, the mother of Jack Lis, Emma Whitfield, told BBC Radio 5 Live she was “lost for words.”

“I didn’t think I’d get listened to when I started,” Ms. Whitfield said. “It’s been a hard fight to show what these dogs are capable of.” 

A group that campaigned for the ban of American bullies XL, Bully Watch,  said: “A ban is a step in the right direction.” They also suggested it must move forward into reforming dog regulation and ownership in the United Kingdom.

Yet, the banning of American Bullies has already been receiving backlash. The Dog Control Coalition — composed of Battersea, Blue Cross, British Veterinary Association, Dogs Trust, The Kennel Club, RSPCA, Scottish SPCA, and Hope Rescue — said  a ban “will sadly not stop these types of incidents recurring.”

The organization suggests the government must “tackle the root issue” and deal with “unscrupulous breeders” and “irresponsible owners” instead. 

“It is critical that any policy designed to protect public safety is based on robust evidence, and we are deeply concerned about the lack of data behind this decision and its potential to prevent dog bites,” the statement says. 

A video shared by the Daily Mail suggests Prime Minister Johnson does not support the ban. “It’s not the dog that’s the problem; it’s the owner,” Mr. Johnson said while holding his own dog, Dilyn, a Jack Russell cross. 

The American Bully XL would be banned under the Dangerous Dogs Act, which gives the government the authority to ban any breed that appears “to be bred for fighting or to have the characteristics of a type bred for that purpose.” Other dogs banned under this act in the United Kingdom include Pit Bull Terriers, Japanese Tosa, Dogo Argentinos, and Fila Brasileiro.