March 2008 Archives

WHEN Robin Cook’s conscience would not allow him to vote for the invasion of Iraq, he was forced to resign from the Cabinet and end his political career on the backbenches.

There was no question of Tony Blair giving his front-bench colleagues a free vote on the war. They either accepted the principle of “collective responsibility� – or they quit.

Now Labour MPs will get a free vote on key aspects of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill – making it easier for lesbian couples to have fertility treatment, so-called “saviour siblings� and, most contentiously, animal-human hybrid embryos.