Development Secretary and Women and Equalities Minister Penny Mordaunt led five ministers including her deputy Victoria Atkins in voting in favour of a bill by backbencher Diana Johnson to modernise abortion law in the province.
A slew of Tory MPs including Foreign Affairs Committee chair Tom Tugendhat moved to back a separate cross-party bid today to change the law.
Labour MPs Stella Creasy and Connor McGinn will attempt to ambush a Northern Ireland bill going through Parliament.
The pair have drawn up so called equal rights amendments to the bill in an attempt to loosen the laws that criminalise abortion in Northern Ireland and legalise same sex marriage.
Yesterday’s bid to change the law was passed in the Commons yesterday by 208 votes to 123.
Some 15 Tories backed the bid including Ms Mordaunt, Ms Atkins, sports minister Tracey Crouch, health minister Caroline Dineage and transport minister Jo Johnson.
It’s not known if the vote will be considered a matter of conscience for MPs or whether they will be whipped.
The DUP are expected to oppose the bill but 80 MPs have backed it.
There has been no Northern Ireland Assembly since 2017 but the Government are reluctant to impose changes without the consent of their elected members.
Last night the PM’s official spokesman said: “It is a Private Member’s Bill and which will proceed in the usual Private Member’s Bill way.”
He added: “The Prime Minister has consistently said that abortion has always been a devolved matter for the Northern Ireland Executive and the best way forward is that this issue should be decided by locally accountable politicians in the Northern Ireland Assembly.”
- GOT a story? Ring The Sun on 0207 782 4104 or WHATSAPP on 07423720250 or email [email protected].
Source: Read Full Article