Blair plea over views on abortion

Tony Blair yesterday appealed for abortion not to become a party political issue, after an attack by the leader of Scotland's Catholic Church.

Mr Blair stressed that Commons votes on changes to legislation on abortion had been treated as "free", recognising that it was an area for members' own consciences to determine, rather than party whips. He added that his own views were well known.

In 1990, Mr Blair and John Major both voted against the reduction in the abortion cut-off to 18 weeks.

The deep, but non-partisan divisions in the 1990 Commons votes have added to Labour's sense of grievance that Cardinal Thomas Willing should have singled out Mr Blair for "washing his hands" of the issue.

One Labour source said last night that the leader of the Scottish Catholics might be deliberately distancing himself from Labour, in order to improve his eventual chances of succession to the papacy.

The 1990 Commons votes reduced the abortion time-limit from 28 weeks to 24 weeks, and in that vote Mr Blair took the majority view - along with 114 Conservative MPs, including Kenneth Clarke and Michael Howard.