Labours Rebecca Long-Bailey sparks row with fellow leadership contender Jess Phillips over late abortion comments

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LABOUR leadership contender Rebecca Long-Bailey sparked a massive row last night after she hit out at late abortions.

She told priests she does not personally agree with the law allowing abortions beyond the 24-week limit if the woman is carrying a severely disabled baby.

The Shadow Business Secretary vowed to ‘play her part’ ensuring the Catholic Church is heard if Labour proposed a law change.
Jess Phillips who vowed to continue to ‘trust women’ to make their own choices

And she vowed to play her part in making sure the voice of the Catholic Church is heard if Labour proposed to change the law on abortion.
Her explosive comments sparked a spat with leadership rival Jess Phillips who vowed to continue to trust women to make their own choices.

While a fuming Labour MEP called for members to vote against the shadow business secretary because of the remarks.

The 40 year-old Catholic made the comments in a letter to priests at Salford Cathedral shortly before the election and leaked online.

Quizzed on her views on late abortion, she 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.

Her campaign team insisted her comments were selectively quoted.

Her spokesman said her views on late abortion were about her own personal choice based on her ethics not about the law or policy.

But female Labour politicians hit back at the comments, which were leaked to the Red Roar website.

Leadership rival Ms Phillips said: I always have and always will trust women to make the decisions about their bodies.

For me that isnt just a passive view, it has taken struggle and effort for that right to choose to exist. I will continue to be active in that struggle.

Labour MEP Julie Ward urged Labour members to vote against Ms Long Bailey because of the comments.

She said: I cannot possibly vote for a person a woman no less who does not share my values.

I urge all those eligible to vote in the Labour leadership election not to vote for RLB [Rebecca Long Bailey].

The row exploded as Corbynista campaign group Momentum backed Ms Long Bailey for leader even though just one in eight members voted for her because of the low turnout.

The leftie group gleefully vowed to mobilise its army of 40,000 members behind her struggling campaign.

But their ballot was branded a stitch up as Momentum refused to let the other four leadership contenders on the ballot.

Meanwhile, Labour revealed 14,700 Brits have signed up to be registered supporters in just 48 hours so they can vote in the leadership contest.

This is far fewer than the 180,000 who flooded into the party in 2016 to overwhelmingly back Jeremy Corbyn.

Ms Long Bailey is launching her campaign in Manchester today with a vow to end the gentlemens club of politics by devolving power out of Westminster.