Progressive Unionist and Northern Ireland Assembly member for East Belfast Dawn Purvis is none too thrilled with Gordon Brown.

She describes any anti-abortion deal that Brown might have done with the DUP to get 42 days’ detention through as ‘disgusting. It’s playing with women’s lives.’

Purvis met Brown when he visited Northern Ireland several weeks ago.

She asked him to guarantee that Labour MPs would be permitted a free vote on extending the Abortion Act to Northern Ireland - that they wouldn’t be whipped into toeing any anti choice line that Brown might have agreed.

Alas - the Prime Minister wasn't keen to thus underwrite women. He has given no guarantee.

‘So, what was it?' Purvis says. 'Was it - “Give us your support for 42 days’ detention, and we’ll make sure that these rogue [pro-choice] MPs withdraw their support [for the Northern Ireland amendment], or we’ll put in an informal whip to make sure the amendment doesn’t succeed?”

'I want a free vote on the amendment that Diane Abbott has presented.

'I know that Northern Ireland MPs say “Why should we have London MPs voting on a Northern Ireland issue?”

'I say Hypocrisy. Hypocrisy. All the Northern Ireland MPs voted to reduce the time limit on abortion [in May this year]. That affected women in Scotland, England and Wales. They had no compunction about doing that.’

Photo: Dawn Purvis, Westminster, 8 October 2008.