Embryo bill: government confident

Last Modified: 23 Mar 2008
By: Keme Nzerem

The government is confident it can push through controversial legislation allowing research into hybrid human-animal embryos.

The health secretary Alan Johnson said he was convinced MPs would pass the bill - despite mounting pressure from leading Catholic clergymen to allow Labour MPs a free vote.

Talking down the reported cabinet rift over human animal embryos, the government today said it wouldn't make MPs opposed to the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill support it.

That probably means allowing abstentions rather than a free vote, but this being Easter Sunday another leading Catholic added his voice to the clamour.

Cardinal Cormac Murphy O'Connor, the Archbishop of Westminster said: "There are some aspects which I believe ought to be a free vote - because Catholics and others will want to vote according to their conscience. I don't think it should be subject to the party whip."

The health secretary was summarily dispatched to set the record straight.

The real issue they say is not religious morality or even party leadership, but about keeping Britain at the forefront of finding cures for diseases like Parkinson's and diabetes.

Alan Johnson said: "I have no doubt if people understand the complex issues here then they support the bill. It's never been a bill that's been scrutinised. I've no doubt there's majority support but the issue is for people who have conscience issues we have to respect."

The number of Labour MPs that will defy the whip to vote no is thought to be in the teens - hardly enough to assail the government's working majority of 67.

And even with a free vote, it's unlikely more than 40 or 50 Labour MPs would vote no, and when you take into account Liberal Democrat and Tory support of around 100, the Human Fertilisation and Embryology bill would pass easily by around 150 votes.

So why, you may well ask, all the fuss? One Labour cabinet member told me today it's all about control, adding - it's "a very necessary part of control".