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Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill [HL]

My Lords, I have been triggered by the comments of the noble Baroness, Lady Knight, to lay a possible canard to rest. After this debate and the previous Division, the suggestion just might go out from this House that the vote was Whipped instead of being the result of reflection, judgment, information, interest and passionate attention to the arguments that were put before us today. I would not like it to be spun in such a way, to use a phrase from a previous discussion. As far as people like me are aware, this is a Government Bill which was properly scrutinised in a pre-legislative committee; there is thus an expectation that the Government will, broadly speaking, get their legislation through. But I am confident that if any members of my party on these Benches felt that they had an issue of conscience that diverged from the Government Bill, they would go to their Chief Whip and absent themselves. If they felt exceedingly strongly, they might even vote in the opposing camp, as I have done on occasion—I do not doubt that that raised the eyebrow of my Chief Whip—having given him that information. That is how this party works; it is an honourable, decent and proper way to conduct legislation.