N Ireland women will get abortion free after threat of a Tory revolt

MINISTERS caved in to pressure over abortion last night to avert a defeat on the Queen’s Speech.

In a dramatic U-turn, Chancellor Philip Hammond announced that the Government would accept pleas from backbenchers to provide funding for women in Northern Ireland to have abortions in England on the NHS.

The move came after a number of Tory MPs signalled that they would back an amendment to the Queen’s Speech by Labour MP Stella Creasy demanding the change.

Two weeks ago it was announced that Nicola Sturgeon and Catherine Calderwood – Scotland’s chief medical officer – are examining how to offer NHS abortions to Northern Irish women who travel to Scotland. The Westminster climbdown removed the final hurdle to the passage of the Queen’s Speech, which cleared the Commons last night by 323 votes to 309.

But it also underlined the fragility of Theresa May’s Government and the ability of Tory backbenchers to make common cause with Labour to force concessions.

Campaigners have been pressing the Department for Health for years to help women from Northern Ireland who cannot get a termination in the Province because of its strict abortion laws.

Last year, 724 women from Northern Ireland travelled to England for an abortion but had to fund the procedure themselves.

Miss Creasy said the situation amounted to ‘discrimination’, adding: ‘The fact is that those women are UK taxpayers contributing towards the cost of the NHS, they are unable to use NHS services at all when they are in England.’

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt dismissed the call on Wednesday, saying ministers would launch a consultation to consider the issue. But Tory whips warned ministers yesterday that they were in danger of losing a vote on it.

Hours later, Mr Hammond told MPs new money would be found to pay for women from Northern Ireland to have abortions elsewhere in the UK. The Chancellor said the issue was one of ‘great importance’ and suggested that ministers had already been looking for a ‘sensible way of dealing with this challenge’.

Equalities minister Justine Greening later said new money would be provided to the NHS so ‘no English health service user is disadvantaged as a result’.

Downing Street said the move would cost about £1million a year.

Miss Creasy then agreed to withdraw her amendment, saying: ‘Let us send a message to women every- where that in this Parliament their voice will be heard and their rights upheld.’

The amendment appears to have been designed in part to embarrass the Government over its pact with the Democratic Unionist Party, which is staunchly opposed to any relaxation of Northern Ireland’s strict abortion laws.

But the DUP MP Ian Paisley Jr indicated his party would reluctantly accept the move, saying: ‘This is not a matter for Belfast – it is a matter for NHS England.’

The DUP’s ten MPs then trooped through the division lobbies to vote for the Queen’s Speech, ensuring the Prime Minister’s majority.

The pact with the DUP has proved controversial with some Tories, partly because of its £1billion cost, and partly because of the party’s conservative stance on issues such as abortion and gay rights.

Tory MP Heidi Allen last night attacked ministers for agreeing the deal – and said she had considered voting against the Queen’s Speech in protest.

She said: ‘I want an honest, transparent, collaborative, respectful and positive kind of politics, so I can barely put into words my anger at the deal my party has done with the DUP. We didn’t need to do it.

‘I must put on record my distaste for the use of public funds to garner political control.

‘We should have run with a minority government.’

DUP MP Sammy Wilson hit back, saying the deal had been done in the national interest to prevent Jeremy Corbyn taking power.

‘Can barely put my anger into words’