Liz Truss’s new health secretary Therese Coffey has insisted she will “not seek to undo” abortion laws, amid concern from campaigners about her voting record on the issue.
The British Pregnancy Advisory Service said Ms Coffey – also appointed deputy prime minister – has a “deeply concerning” record on abortion rights.
The senior Tory figure voted to revoke the rights to at-home abortion care, as well as voting against extension of abortion rights to women in Northern Ireland.
The practising Catholic has previously said that she would “prefer that people didn’t have abortions, but I am not going to condemn people that do”.
The new health secretary insisted that she would not seek to overturn abortion rights during her time in charge of the NHS, saying she would be focused on “ABCD – ambulances, backlogs, care, doctors and dentists”.
“I’m conscious I have voted against abortion laws,” Ms Coffey told Sky News. “What I will say is I’m a complete democrat and that is done. It’s not that I’m seeking to undo any aspects of abortion laws.”
Asked by the BBC about the concerns of abortion campaigners, the senior cabinet minister said: “Access to abortion is set out – it’s already available right across the United Kingdom. I have responsibility for England, and that access will continue.”
Ms Coffey was also grilled about voting against making at-home abortion pills, introduced during the Covid lockdowns, permanently available across England and Wales.
“There are many other people who are exceptionally pro-abortion who did not want that to happen,” she told the BBC. “However, parliament voted, and it’s happened, and the regulations are already in place.”
Asked about social media users pointing out that the new health secretary had been a smoker, she said: “I don’t look at social media. I’ve had all sorts of abuse hurled for many years, it doesn’t worry me.”
Ms Coffey also said health and social care will be funded through general taxation, rather than the special levy of 1.25 per cent rise in National Insurance promised by previous chancellor Rishi Sunak.
Grilled about the challenge of paying for health and social care without the guarantee of extra funds, Ms Coffey said: “We will continue to invest the same amount into health and social care that we would setting out through the levee”.
Hinting that she would push for the NHS to use the private health care sector to clear the huge backlog of operations, she told LBC: “I think we just need to use every capacity that we can, and we already use the independent sector in order to help patients get the operations that they need today.”
Asked about the prospect of junior doctors striking over pay, Ms Coffey said: “I hope that, of course, people will continue to put their patients first.”
Meanwhile, Ms Truss will work to finalise a multi-billion package to freeze energy bills after conducting a brutal cabinet cull of Mr Sunak’s supporters and rewarding her allies with the top jobs.
The new PM will hold the debut meeting of her new-look cabinet in the morning, while new chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng has summoned the bosses of major banks to discuss the new economic strategy.
A government source confirmed that the plan is to freeze annual energy bills around the £2,500 mark. It is based on the current £1,971 energy price cap plus the £400 universal handout announced under Boris Johnson’s government.
Ms Coffey would not be drawn on the plan, expected to be unveiled on Thursday, saying Ms Truss would reveal all “this week”. She refused to comment on whether the UK will boost government borrowing to fund energy help.
The health secretary also insisted that Ms Truss has appointed a “broad church” and a diverse “government of all the talents”, despite criticism that she has culled all Sunak supporters.
One former minister told The Independent of fears that Ms Truss was creating a “cabinet of cronies”, putting loyalty to her over the competence required at a time of unprecedented crisis.
On Wednesday she will face Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer in her first PMQs, and is expected to continue with a reshuffle of government positions.
