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Although some Labour backbenchers appeared distinctly unimpressed by the move, the government secured a comfortable 322 to 157 majority for its procedural motion on the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill. The motion pushed all amendments dealing with abortion to the back of the queue. Diane Abbott called it a shabby manouvre. Amidst some cat calls, Jeffrey Donaldson denied the DUP had done a deal with the government on the matter.

There is talk at Westminster of a private members' bill on abortion in the next session of parliament. But by then, presuming the DUP and Sinn Fein overcome their terminological dispute about what "at all times" means, justice should have been devolved.

Pro choice campaigners are consoling themselves that at least they raised the profile of their case. But with only 2 MLAs declaring themselves openly in the pro-choice camp today may very well have been - as both Anna Lo and Diane Abbott themselves acknowledged - the last chance to change the abortion law here.

P.S. A couple of Westminster "big beasts" weighed into the debate. Ann Widdecombe backed the government. Ken Clarke did not and produced a good one liner on what he saw as the cynicism of ministers' tactics. "Cynicism would take my breath away" he argued "if I was not becoming ever more accustomed to this process on the part of a control freak Government that regards the House of Commons as an embarrassing nuisance to be silenced on all suitable occasions."
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