Long-Bailey hits back in storm over abortion

Candidate even wins support of top Tory

LABOUR leadership contender Rebecca Long-Bailey has defended her decision to speak out on abortion as she won the surprise backing of a prominent Tory.

In a defiant riposte, she hinted that her concerns had been ‘misrepresented’ to damage her bid to succeed Jeremy Corbyn.

But it later emerged that one of her own campaign team had suggested that people with ‘regressive’ views on abortion should not be Prime Minister.

Ms Long-Bailey, the so-called ‘Corbyn continuity’ candidate, found herself at the centre of a Labour row after appearing to back stricter abortion laws.

Responding to a questionnaire from local Catholic churches during the General Election campaign, she said that she did ‘not agree’ with current rules allowing women a termination on disability grounds after 24 weeks. She said she backed the Disability Rights Commission’s view that ‘the context in which parents choose whether to have a child should be one in which

‘Should be treated as a matter of conscience’

disability and non-disability are valued equally’.

The Salford MP has defended her remarks and hinted at the ‘Machiavellian’ way the story emerged.

In an apparent dig at the Red Roar website which broke the story, she said: ‘It’s been quite suspicious. Certain news sources have perpetrated this misrepresentation over the last 24 hours.’

Ms Long-Bailey told Channel 4 News she was ‘by no means suggesting we need to restrict our abortion laws further’, but had wished to raise concerns ‘that the disabled community would feel’.

Last week, her campaign team insisted her stance was her personal view, not a policy position. But last night, it emerged that her own communications chief – exCorbyn aide Matt Zarb-Cousin – had voiced doubt about people with similar views holding high office.

Tweeting last year about former Tory Minister and abortion critic David Lidington, who also voted against civil partnerships, he wrote: ‘Personally, I wouldn’t be too comfortable with someone possessing such regressive views on LGBT rights and abortion occupying Number 10 but each to their own.’

However, sources close to Mr Zarb-Cousin hit back, saying Ms Long-Bailey’s views were ‘in no way comparable’ to Mr Lidington’s, who voted for tighter time limits on abortion. One said: ‘The difference between David Lidington and Rebecca is she never voted to restrict the right to abortion and has voted to extend it in the case of Northern Ireland.’

Last night, Mr Lidington defended Ms Long-Bailey, saying: ‘She should be entitled to whatever views she has on abortion and to vote accordingly. It should be treated with respect as a matter of conscience.’

Separately, Catholic Labour MPs Mike Kane and Conor McGinn claimed the reaction to Ms LongBailey’s remarks had produced ‘age-old, anti-Catholic bigotry’. In an article for PoliticsHome, they said that neither of them had nominated her for the leadership ‘but we will not stand idle while her faith is being used to smear her, or tolerate blatant sectarianism and anti-Catholic tropes.’