Around the World: United Kingdom

Embryo bill to be passed

Britain's government is confident it can push through legislation allowing human-animal embryo research, as calls for a free vote on the sensitive bill grew, Health Secretary Alan Johnson told Sky News yesterday.

A number of leading Roman Catholic clergymen, including cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor, want Prime Minister Gordon Brown to give MPs a free vote on the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill, as does former Trade and Industry Secretary Stephen Byers.