Merton Council has rejected a Conservative motion concerning changes to abortion law, specifically the New Clause One amendment to the Crime and Policing Bill. The motion was debated at a council meeting, the agenda for which can be found online. Agenda frontsheet Wednesday 09-Jul-2025 19.15 Council.pdf

The New Clause One amendment to the Crime and Policing Bill would disapply existing criminal law related to abortion from women acting in relation to her own pregnancy at any gestation.

The motion, presented by Councillor Nick McLean, Leader of the Conservative Group, and seconded by Councillor Eleanor Cox, raised concerns about the potential implications of the amendment. According to the motion, available to view online,Conservative Motion July 2025.pdf the amendment would:

  1. Create a legal backdoor for sex selective abortions.
  2. Lead to more late term DIY abortions at home.
  3. Lead to more babies' lives being ended after the current 24-week abortion legal limit and beyond the point where they can survive outside of the womb and up to full term.

The motion called for the Cabinet to investigate the impact of the proposed changes, run a public information campaign on the dangers of DIY abortions and the health risks of terminations beyond 24 weeks, and for the Leader of the Council to write to the borough's two MPs expressing the council's opposition to the changes.

Prior to the motion being moved, Councillor Gill Manly raised a point of order, questioning whether the motion fell within Merton Council's scope of responsibility. However, the Deputy Monitoring Officer stated that the motion did come within the scope of the constitution because changes of the law would affect Merton and the residents of Merton.

Councillors Anthony Fairclough, Chessie Flack, Susie Hicks, Paul Kohler and Eleanor Stringer also spoke on the item.

The motion was put to a vote and fell, with 7 votes in favour, 37 votes against, and 7 abstentions. Councillor Flack requested that her vote against the motion be recorded.

While the article doesn't explicitly state which political party holds the majority on Merton Council, the fact that the Conservative motion was defeated by a significant margin suggests that the Conservative party is not in the majority.