Blasphemy Law Repeal Plan Receives Broad Backing - HARRIS

12.00.00am GMT Tue 8th Jan 2008

The repeal of Britain's ancient law of blasphemous libel moved closer today when a cross-party amendment was tabled for debate in the Criminal Justice and Immigration Bill tomorrow. It immediately attracted the parliamentary support of senior labour back-benchers, religious and secular MPs and the opposition front-bench spokesmen on the arts.

David Cameron, George Osborne, Ken Clarke and shadow the Attorney General had all previously supported repeal in February 2005 when it was last attempted.

A remarkable coalition of prominent religious and secular leaders together with human rights campaigners and leading figures from the literary, arts and entertainment world co-authored a letter to a national newspaper backing repeal.

Dr Evan Harris, the Liberal Democrat MP and free speech campaigner, who proposed the amendment, said:

"There is cross-party, secular and religious support for confining this unnecessary, discriminatory and censorious law to the history books where it belongs. Neither the Church of England nor the Government has given a good reason for the blasphemy law to be retained, so it is time Parliament stood up for free expression and against a religious privilege which protects beliefs instead of people."

Senior Labour back-bencher, Frank Dobson MP, a long-standing opponent of the blasphemy law, said:

"There is no place for laws on blasphemy in a modern society, and certainly not for one which gives protection for the beliefs of only one religion, when there are plenty of other laws available to protect public order and prevent the outraging of public decency or incitement to hatred."

Robert Key, Conservative MP for Salisbury who is a practising Anglican, said:

"I believe opinion in the Church of England is shifting on whether we need this ancient, largely symbolic protection. I think this law is divisive and counterproductive".

The amendment is in line to be debated and voted on in the crowded report stage of the Criminal Justice and Immigration Bill on Wednesday in the Commons. The amendment (New clause 1) has attracted over 30 cross-party signatures.

The Liberal Democrats support repeal, the Conservatives are said to be allowing a free vote. The Government has not announced yet whether it plans to instruct its MPs to vote to retain the law.

ENDS