Rebecca Long-Bailey showed ‘personal’ support for stronger limit on abortions where disability a factor

Labour leadership contender echoed view that ‘disability and non-disability are valued equally’ but is not believed to be seeking change in law

Labour leadership contender Rebecca Long-Bailey has shown personal support for tougher abortion limits in the case of unborn children with disabilities.

In an election questionnaire for the deanery of Salford, Ms Long-Bailey said she disagreed with the law allowing women to seek abortions beyond the 24-week limit in the event of a severe foetal abnormality.

Current laws prohibit women from seeking abortions beyond 24 weeks of pregnancy, except if the mother’s life is under threat or if the child is at risk of severe disability.

Asked by Catholic priests whether she would support removing discrimination on the grounds of disability, Ms Long-Bailey said: “It is currently legal to terminate a pregnancy up to full-term on the grounds of disability while the upper limit is 24 weeks if there is no disability.

“I personally do not agree with this position and agree with the words of the Disability Rights Commission that ‘the context in which parents choose whether to have a child should be one in which disability and non-disability are valued equally’.”

The comments were first published by The Red Roar blog, which is critical of Jeremy Corbyn and his allies.

Ms Long-Bailey, who was a protege of shadow chancellor John McDonnell, is regarded by many as the left-wing candidate for the job. A new poll for LabourList of members put her in the lead on 42 per cent, compared to rival Sir Keir Starmer on 37 per cent.

Her spokesperson insisted that Ms Long-Bailey, who is Catholic, always backed extending abortion rights and she is not expected to try to change the law – but the comments point to a conflict between her personal beliefs and Labour policy.

In the questionnaire, the MP for Salford and Eccles said she “would never contemplate abortion” but she had tried to understand the “agonising decisions many feel forced to make”.

She expressed concerns about the lack of support for vulnerable women, particularly those procuring unregulated abortion pills online.

Labour’s recent election manifesto contained a pledge to “uphold women’s reproductive rights and decriminalise abortions”, which would mean ripping up Victorian laws that contain criminal sanctions for doctors and patients.

Ms Long-Bailey added: “Labour would propose a wide public consultation on the detail of new laws and regulations and of course I will play my part in that discussion in ensuring that your views are heard.”

A spokesperson for Ms Long-Bailey told The Independent: “Rebecca has only ever voted in favour of extending the right to abortion, such as in Northern Ireland.

“These responses have been selectively quoted by the fake news peddlers at The Red Roar to propagate a misleading narrative.

“Rebecca’s response to the deanery of Salford clarified the existing law and current Labour policy, stating that abortion procedures should be properly regulated, and women’s reproductive rights and the decriminalisation of abortion maintained.

“Rebecca’s response also reflected her agreement with the Disability Rights Commission that the context in which parents choose whether to have a child should be one in which disability and non-disability are valued equally.

“Any public consultation would mean a wide range of views will of course be heard, and it is Rebecca’s duty as an MP to ensure her constituents are able to respond.”

The British Pregnancy Advisory Service (Bpas), which provides terminations, expressed concerns at her comments as it said many serious fetal anomalies were not diagnosed until the second trimester.

“Removing the ability for women in these extremely challenging circumstances to end a much-wanted pregnancy would deny them the time and space they need for further tests and counselling before they make their decision,” the spokesperson said.

The Bpas spokesperson added: “There is no contradiction between working to create a more equal society for those with a disability and supporting women’s abilities to make the decisions that are right for them and their family in these desperate circumstances.

“Any suggestion that women who end a pregnancy in these situations do not value the lives of disabled people is deeply offensive.”

Lord Shinkwin, a Conservative peer who has been disabled since birth, sought to change the legal limit for all terminations to 24 weeks in 2017 but his private member’s bill never progressed beyond the House of Lords.