 More than a third of the cabinet voted against early medical abortion at home to be made permanent and more than a quarter voted against buffer zones for abortion clinics, according to the analysis of parliamentary records. Rishi Sunak has abstained on all votes relating to abortion in England since he became an MP. He backed granting the Northern Ireland Secretary new powers to impose the commissioning of abortion services in Northern Ireland. Grilled on his voting record during the summer leadership race, the now-PM said he){kind=link}
Labour frontbencher Anneliese Dodds said women would be ‘really worried about the voting records of senior members of this government’ as analysis found top Tories such as Rishi Sunak, Jeremy Hunt and Suella Braverman have opposed or abstained on abortion votes
Labour has called on the Government to reassure women over access to terminations as research found top Cabinet ministers have abstained or opposed votes to expand English abortion law.
Analysis of voting records found senior Tories, including the Prime Minister, Chancellor, Home Secretary and Foreign Secretary, have opposed or abstained on most votes to enshrine safe access to abortion in England since 2015.
These include votes on the enforcement of buffer zones around abortion clinics, access to early medical abortion at home and an overhaul of Victorian abortion laws which contains criminal sanctions for women and doctors.
It comes amid concern over the appointment of new Women’s Minister Maria Caulfield, who claimed protesters outside abortion clinics may simply want to “comfort” women.