We just wanted to update you to let you know that, unfortunately, MPs have just voted by 297 votes to 110 in support of the amendment (NC11) to the Public Order Bill to introduce ‘buffer zones’ around abortion clinics nationwide.
Hundreds of women have been helped outside abortion clinics by pro-life volunteers who have provided them with practical support, which made it clear to them that they had another option other than going through with the abortion.
If the Public Order Bill passes all its stages in the Commons and Lords, as is likely to be the case, given it is a Government Bill, the vital practical support provided by volunteers outside abortion clinics will be removed for women.
While the majority of the MPs who voted for the amendment were Labour MPs, it is important to note that the Conservative Government did not choose to whip on this issue, which meant that they did not ensure that their MPs voted against the amendment. In 2021, a similar amendment was brought forward by Rupa Huq MP to a Government Bill, but for that amendment, the Government whipped against it on the grounds that it was a public order issue.
If the Government had done the same today, and whipped against this amendment, it is very unlikely that it would have passed. If you are a Conservative Party member or know people involved with the party, I would encourage you to make contact with the party to make it clear that you are unhappy about their decision to not whip against this amendment. It is very important that the party is aware that people are very unhappy with this decision.
We are currently collating the final details on how each MP voted and will have that information up on our Where Do They Stand MP voting record platform as Parliament releases its data on the vote.