News

Our lords and masters could not even bring themselves to reduce the age limit on abortions from 24 to 22 weeks.

The time limit for abortion was kept at 24 weeks last night in the first vote on the issue in 18 years.

Gordon Brown voted against any reduction after insisting there was no medical evidence to justify a change in the law

David Cameron, the Tory leader, backed a reduction, indicating that he favoured it being lowered to 20 weeks, while Gordon Brown and a majority of MPs voted to keep the current limit.

A lowering of the limit had been predicted, but MPs instead rejected all the amendments that would have lowered the limit.

An attempt to prevent two-mother families being legally enshrined also failed.

Cabinet ministers who voted for the cut to 22 weeks were:

Des Browne, Defence Secretary and Scotland Secretary

Ruth Kelly, Transport Secretary

Paul Murphy, Wales Secretary

Cabinet ministers who voted against the bid to cut the abortion limit to 22 weeks were:

Douglas Alexander, International Development Secretary

Ed Balls, Children, Schools and Families Secretary

Hilary Benn, Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Secretary

Hazel Blears, Communities and Local Government Secretary

Prime Minister Gordon Brown

Andy Burnham, Culture, Media & Sport Secretary

Yvette Cooper, Chief Secretary to the Treasury

Chancellor Alistair Darling

John Denham, Innovation, Universities and Skills Secretary

Harriet Harman, Leader of the Commons

John Hutton, Business, Enterprise & Regulatory Reform Secretary

Alan Johnson, Health Secretary

Ed Miliband, Cabinet Office Minister and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster

James Purnell, Work and Pensions Secretary

Jacqui Smith, Home Secretary

Jack Straw, Justice Secretary and Lord Chancellor

Cabinet ministers who did not vote were:

Geoff Hoon, Chief Whip

David Miliband, Foreign Secretary

Shaun Woodward, Northern Ireland Secretary

Shadow Cabinet members who voted for the cut to 22 weeks were:

Peter Ainsworth, Shadow Environment, Food & Rural Affairs Secretary

David Cameron, Leader

David Davis, Shadow Home Secretary

Dr Liam Fox, Shadow Defence Secretary

Cheryl Gillan, Shadow Wales Secretary

Chris Grayling, Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary

William Hague, Shadow Foreign Secretary

Philip Hammond, Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury

Nick Herbert, Shadow Justice Secretary

Jeremy Hunt, Shadow Culture, Media & Sport Secretary

Andrew Lansley, Shadow Health Secretary

Oliver Letwin, Chairman of the Conservative Research Department

Francis Maude, Shadow Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster

Theresa May, Shadow Leader of the House

Patrick McLoughlin, Opposition Chief Whip

David Mundell, Shadow Scotland Secretary

Owen Paterson, Shadow Northern Ireland Secretary

Eric Pickles, Shadow Communities and Local Government Secretary

Caroline Spelman, Chairman of the Conservative Party

Shadow Cabinet members who voted against the cut to 22 weeks were:

George Osborne, Shadow Chancellor

Theresa Villiers, Shadow Transport Secretary

Shadow Cabinet members who did not vote were:

Alan Duncan, Shadow Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Secretary

Michael Gove, Shadow Children, Schools and Families Secretary

Andrew Mitchell, Shadow International Development Secretary

David Willetts, Shadow Innovation, Universities and Skills Secretary

Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg voted against the cut to 22 weeks.

And here's the complete list of all the MPs who voted against a reduction in the abortion limit to 22 weeks. Check if yours is on it. The MPs in local constituencies appear in bold.

Abbott, Diane - Ainsworth, Bob - Alexander, Danny -
Alexander, Douglas - Armstrong, Hilary - Austin, John - Bailey, Adrian - Baldry, Tony - Balls, Ed - Banks, Gordon - Baron, John - Barron, Kevin - Bayley, Hugh - Beckett, Margaret - Begg, Anne - Benn, Hilary - Bercow, John - Beresford, Paul - Berry, Roger -
Betts, Clive - Blackman, Liz - Blackman-Woods, Roberta - Blears, Hazel - Blizzard, Bob - Blunkett, David - Blunt, Crispin - Bradshaw, Ben - Brake, Tom -
Brennan, Kevin - Brown, Gordon - Brown, Lyn - Brown, Nicholas - Brown, Russell - Bruce, Malcolm - Bryant, Chris - Buck, Karen - Burden, Richard - Burgon, Colin - Burnham, Andy - Burstow, Paul - Butler, Dawn - Byers, Stephen - Caborn, Richard - Campbell, Alan -
Campbell, Menzies - Carmichael, Alistair - Cawsey, Ian - Challen, Colin - Chaytor, David - Clapham, Michael - Clark, Katy - Clark, Paul - Clarke, Charles - Clegg, Nick - Clelland, David - Coaker, Vernon - Coffey, Ann - Cohen, Harry - Connarty, Michael - Cooper, Yvette - Corbyn, Jeremy - Cousins, Jim - Creagh, Mary - Cruddas, Jon - Cryer, Ann - Cunningham, Jim - Curry, David - Darling, Alistair - Davey, Edward - David, Wayne - Davidson, Ian - Davies, Dai - Davies, Quentin - Dean, Janet - Denham, John - Devine, Jim - Dismore, Andrew - Dobson, Frank - Donohoe Brian H - Doran, Frank - Dorrell, Stephen - Dowd, Jim - Duddridge, James - Dunne, Philip - Eagle, Angela - Eagle, Maria - Efford, Clive - Ellman, Louise - Engel, Natascha - Ennis, Jeff - Etherington, Bill - Featherstone, Lynne - Fisher, Mark - Flint, Caroline - Flynn, Paul - Follett, Barbara - Foster, Don - Foster, Michael (Worcester) - Francis, Hywel - Gapes, Mike - Garnier, Edward - George, Andrew - Gerrard, Neil - Gibson, Ian - Gidley, Sandra - Gilroy, Linda - Godsiff, Roger - Goldsworthy, Julia - Goodman, Helen - Griffith, Nia - Griffiths, Nigel - Hain, Peter - Hall, Patrick - Hamilton, Fabian - Hanson, David - Harman, Harriet - Harris, Evan - Harvey, Nick - Havard, Dai - Healey, John - Hemming, John - Henderson, Doug - Hepburn, Stephen - Hewitt, Patricia - Heyes, David - Hill, Keith - Hodge, Margaret - Hodgson, Sharon - Hoey, Kate - Holmes, Paul - Hope, Phil - Hopkins, Kelvin - Hosie, Stewart - Howarth, David - Howarth, George - Howells, Kim - Hughes, Beverley - Huhne, Chris - Humble, Joan - Hutton, John - Iddon, Brian - Illsley, Eric - Ingram, Adam - Jackson, Glenda - James, Sian C - Jenkins, Brian - Johnson, Alan - Johnson, Diana R - Jones, Kevan - Jones, Lynne - Jones, Martyn - Jowell, Tessa - Joyce, Eric - Keeble, Sally - Keeley, Barbara - Keen, Ann - Keetch, Paul - Kemp, Fraser - Kennedy, Jane - Key, Robert - Khan, Sadiq - Kidney, David - Kirkbride, Julie - Knight, Greg - Knight, Jim - Kramer, Susan - Kumar, Ashok - Ladyman, Stephen - Lait, Jacqui - Lamb, Norman - Lammy, David - Lazarowicz, Mark - Leech, John - Lepper, David - Levitt, Tom - Liddell-Grainger, Ian - Llwyd, Elfyn -
Love, Andrew - Lucas, Ian - Mackay, Andrew - MacShane, Denis - Mactaggart, Fiona - Malik, Shahid -
Mallaber, Judy - Mann, John - Maples, John - Marris, Rob - McCafferty, Chris - McCarthy, Kerry - McCarthy-Fry, Sarah - McDonnell, John - McFadden, Pat - McIntosh, Anne - McIsaac, Shona - McKechin, Ann - McNulty, Tony - Meacher, Michael - Meale, Alan - Mercer, Patrick - Merron, Gillian - Milburn, Alan - Miliband, Edward - Miller, Andrew - Mitchell, Austin - Moffat, Anne - Moffatt, Laura - Mole, Chris - Moon, Madeleine - Moore, Michael - Moran, Margaret -
Morden, Jessica - Morgan, Julie - Mountford, Kali - Munn, Meg - Murphy, Denis - Naysmith, Doug - Norris, Dan - O'Hara, Edward - Opik, Lembit - Osborne, George - Osborne, Sandra - Pearson, Ian - Penrose, John - Prentice, Gordon - Prescott, John - Primarolo, Dawn - Prosser, Gwyn - Purchase, Ken - Purnell, James - Rammell, Bill - Raynsford, Nick - Reed, Jamie - Rennie, Willie - Riordan, Linda - Robertson, Angus - Robertson, John - Robinson, Geoffrey - Ruddock, Joan - Russell, Christine - Ryan, Joan - Salter, Martin - Seabeck, Alison - Shaw, Jonathan - Sheerman, Barry - Sheridan, Jim - Short, Clare - Simon, Sion - Simpson, Alan - Singh, Marsha - Skinner, Dennis - Slaughter, Andy - Smith, Andrew - Smith, Angela E (Basildon) - Smith, Jacqui - Smith, Robert - Snelgrove, Anne - Soulsby, Peter - Southworth, Helen - Spellar, John - Starkey, Phyllis - Stewart, Ian - Stoate, Howard - Strang, Gavin - Straw, Jack - Swinson, Jo - Tami, Mark - Taylor, Dari - Taylor, Matthew - Taylor, Richard - Thomas, Gareth - Thornberry, Emily - Thurso, John - Timms, Stephen - Todd, Mark - Tredinnick, David - Trickett, Jon - Truswell, Paul - Turner, Desmond - Turner, Neil - Tyrie, Andrew - Viggers, Peter - Villiers, Theresa - Vis, Rudi - Walley, Joan - Waltho, Lynda - Whitehead, Alan - Wicks, Malcolm - Wiggin, Bill - Williams, Alan - Williams, Betty - Williams, Hywel - Williams, Stephen - Willott, Jenny - Wills, Michael - Wilson, Phil - Winnick, David - Winterton, Rosie - Wishart, Pete - Wood, Mike - Woolas, Phil - Wright, Anthony - Wright, David - Wright, Tony - Young, George

Whereas these all voted for the reduction. MPs for local constituencies appear in bold.

Ainsworth, Peter - Ancram, Michael - Arbuthnot, James - Atkinson, Peter - Bacon, Richard - Baker, Norman - Barker, Gregory - Barlow, Celia - Barrett, John - Battle, John - Bell, Stuart - Bellingham, Henry - Benton, Joe - Benyon, Richard - Binley, Brian - Bone, Peter - Borrow, David S - Bottomley, Peter - Brady, Graham - Brazier, Julian - Breed, Colin - Brokenshire, James - Brooke, Annette - Browne, Des - Browning, Angela - Burns, Simon - Burrowes, David - Burt, Alistair - Burt, Lorely – Cameron, David - Campbell, Gregory - Campbell, Ronnie - Carswell, Douglas - Cash, William - Chope, Christopher - Clappison, James - Clark, Greg - Clarke, Tom - Clifton-Brown, Geoffrey - Conway, Derek - Cormack, Patrick - Cox, Geoffrey - Crabb, Stephen - Crausby, David - Cummings, John - Cunningham, Tony - Curtis-Thomas, Claire - Davies, David TC (Monmouth) - Davis, David (Haltemprice and Howden) - Dhanda, Parmjit - Djanogly, Jonathan - Dodds, Nigel - Dorries, Nadine - Drew, David - Duncan Smith, Iain - Durkan, Mark - Ellwood, Tobias - Evans, Nigel - Evennett, David - Fallon, Michael - Field, Frank - Field, Mark - Fitzpatrick, Jim - Foster, Michael Jabez (Hastings and Rye) - Fox, Liam - Francois, Mark - Gauke, Mr David - Gillan, Cheryl - Goggins, Paul - Goodman, Paul - Goodwill, Robert - Gray, James - Grayling, Chris - Green, Damian - Greening, Justine - Grieve, Dominic - Grogan, John - Gummer, John - Gwynne, Andrew - Hague, William - Hamilton, David - Hammond, Philip - Hammond, Stephen - Hancock, Mike - Hands, Greg - Harper, Mark - Harris, Tom - Hayes, John - Heald, Oliver - Heathcoat-Amory, David - Hendry, Charles - Herbert, Nick - Hermon, Lady - Hillier, Meg - Hoban, Mark - Hogg, Douglas - Hollobone, Philip - Holloway, Adam - Horam, John - Horwood, Martin - Howard, Michael - Howarth, Gerald - Hoyle, Lindsay - Hughes, Simon - Hunt, Jeremy - Hunter, Mark - Hurd, Nick - Irranca-Davies, Huw - Jack, Michael - Jackson, Stewart - Jones, David - Jones, Helen - Kawczynski, Daniel - Kelly, Ruth - Kilfoyle, Peter - Lansley, Andrew - Laws, David - Leigh, Edward - Letwin, Oliver - Lewis, Ivan - Lewis, Julian - Lidington, David - Lilley, Peter - Linton, Martin - Loughton, Tim - Mackinlay, Andrew - Maclean, David - MacNeil, Angus - Main, Anne - Malins, Humfrey - Marsden, Gordon - Martlew, Eric - Mates, Michael - Maude, Francis - May, Theresa - McAvoy, Thomas - McCrea, William - McDonnell, Alasdair - McFall, John - McGovern, Jim - McGrady, Eddie - McLoughlin, Patrick - Miller, Maria - Milton, Anne - Moss, Malcolm - Mulholland, Greg - Mullin, Chris - Mundell, David - Murphy, Paul - Murrison, Andrew - Neill, Robert - Newmark, Brooks - O'Brien, Mike - O'Brien, Stephen - Ottaway, Richard - Owen, Albert - Paice, James - Palmer, Nick - Paterson, Owen - Pelling, Andrew - Penning, Mike - Pickles, Eric - Plaskitt, James - Pope, Greg - Pound, Stephen - Prentice, Bridget - Pritchard, Mark - Pugh, John - Randall, John - Redwood, John - Reed, Andy - Reid, Alan - Reid, John - Rifkind, Malcolm - Robathan, Andrew - Robertson, Hugh - Robertson, Laurence - Robinson, Iris - Rogerson, Dan - Rooney, Terry - Rowen, Paul - Roy, Frank - Ruane, Chris - Russell, Bob - Salmond, Alex - Selous, Andrew - Shapps, Grant - Shepherd, Richard - Simmonds, Mark - Simpson, David - Simpson, Keith - Smith, Geraldine - Soames, Nicholas - Spelman, Caroline - Spicer, Michael - Spring, Richard - Stanley, John - Steen, Anthony - Streeter, Gary - Stuart, Graham - Stunell, Andrew - Sutcliffe, Gerry - Swayne, Desmond - Swire, Hugo - Syms, Robert - Taylor, David - Teather, Sarah - Tipping, Paddy - Touhig, Don - Turner, Andrew - Twigg, Derek - Ussher, Kitty - Vaizey, Edward - Vara, Shailesh - Vaz, Keith - Walker, Charles - Wallace, Ben - Walter, Robert - Ward, Claire - Wareing, Robert N - Waterson, Nigel - Watkinson, Angela - Webb, Steve - Weir, Mike - Widdecombe, Ann - Williams, Mark - Williams, Roger - Willis, Phil - Wilson, Rob - Wilson, Sammy - Wright, Iain - Wright, Jeremy - Younger-Ross, Richard