BRITAIN:THE ROW in Britain over embryo research turned acrimonious yesterday as Catholic leaders rejected Labour claims that they were misleading the public.
Trenchant criticism of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill over the Easter weekend caused leading Labour peer Lord Winston to accuse one cardinal of "lying" yesterday.
Labour MP Jim Devine also insisted that Scottish cardinal Keith O'Brien misunderstood the bill.
Archbishop of Cardiff Peter Smith called for calm last night but claimed that scientists were playing down the reach of the bill.
"I refute any suggestion that the Catholic bishops have been lying about this bill or misleading people as to its contents and import," he said. "What is needed is a calm, reasoned debate based on the facts.
"Contrary to what a number of scientists have claimed, this bill does in fact allow the creation of animal-human hybrid embryos for research." The archbishop also stepped up the pressure on Gordon Brown to grant Labour MPs a free vote when it comes before the Commons.
The British prime minister is facing a rebellion of up to 12 Catholic ministers, including three members of the cabinet.
"On all sides of this debate there are many who agree that because some clauses in this bill go to the heart of what it means to be human, there should be a free vote on those parts of the bill," Dr Smith said. "This is clearly not just an issue for Catholics. It is about the right of all MPs to vote according to their conscience on such profoundly important issues." A Church of England bishop also joined the opposition to the bill yesterday.
The Bishop of Lichfield, the Rt Revd Jonathan Gledhill, said: "It's a very important part of our society and a very important part of the Christian faith that you should have respect for human embryos."
Tory leader David Cameron accused Mr Brown of "dither and delay" over the issue of a free vote, mocking Labour's position on the Bill as a "mess".
Speaking to Vanessa Feltz on BBC Radio London, he said: "What I don't understand is why he's got himself into this mess.
"You can see in the newspapers this weekend the Labour Party in a complete mess over this, totally conflicting instructions coming out.
"One minister seems to say 'well maybe they will be able to have a free vote', another one's saying 'no they won't', then someone said 'well maybe they can have a free vote but only if the Bill doesn't get defeated'.
"I mean, it's a mess. What he should say is 'look this is an important bill, an important piece of legislation, but it does raise issues of conscience, so there should be free votes throughout the bill's passage'."
- (PA)