As you debate the bill, we call on you to stand up to the bullying campaign to undermine your intention and confidence. CCHQ has been calling on MPs to deselect opponents who support the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill – promising the cash for their constituency if they put up with being overruled by your committee. Its messages echo the Tories’ ad campaign before the 2015 General Election, which asked members to vote against MPs they did not like. We want you to hold those who threaten you to account. We urge you to take time out of the committee’s discussions to ask the people who have stood against you: what is your case against this change to the law? To stand by the free speech rights of everyone else who is part of the green paper group in your constituencies? To put your bill back to its initial objective – to abolish the embryo research industry – in its original form. To present strong arguments on abortion and consent – to make it possible for women with extreme foetal abnormalities to gain legal access to treatment through IVF in the UK? To ensure that research in early embryos – where there is hope of early pregnancy – is stopped before they pass vital developmental milestones? To ensure a meaningful review of fertilisation techniques, instead of insisting on a quick to market deal, that could displace the valuable knowledge and research undertaken by UK scientists, including women like Fiona Hamlin (pictured) from Newcastle University. To give proper consideration to the views of all those who oppose embryo research, especially those who run schools and other health facilities. Their science expertise is invaluable and should not be dismissed in partisan political fashion. And we also want you to recognise the role of science and research in the overwhelming success of the NHS. At this time, it is more urgent than ever to increase investment in that crucial service. The public have little faith in what the NHS has to offer, and the fear that ageing baby boomers will overstretch it means younger people are unwilling to pay for good quality healthcare. The £2.3bn put forward by the Department of Health and Social Care to refurbish wards and surgeries does not go far enough. We are already talking about waiting times of up to 18 weeks for some non-urgent procedures. Our ageing population has increased demand on NHS services, but it is set to rise dramatically even faster – to 5.5 million by 2050. The way we deliver healthcare will need to change dramatically if we are to meet this challenge. We need investment in increased capacity to meet growing demand. In this debate, the party that gives greater priority to science, research and technology will better connect with the public, which will provide more support for key programmes such as the new Nuffield Health Commission. We can’t turn the clock back to a time when doctors and nurses knew one another’s Hippocratic Oath but lacked the technological and social knowledge to provide good quality care. Science and research is changing the world and we urgently need a political system that reflects that truth and trusts scientists to bring good ideas and advances to the country in the way that entrepreneurs do by dreaming up new business ideas. We also need an inclusive society where as many people as possible have the chance to work and succeed. We cannot have anything less than free speech and equal protection from discrimination. We will not be silenced as MPs. BBC Newsnight is also calling on MPs: you can watch the full programme
BBC Newsnight editor Sophie Ridge and fellow editor Nadhim Zahawi
Nadhim Zahawi was giving evidence to the HFEA
Sophie Ridge, a strong supporter of the Green party, is the acting editor. She joined the BBC Newsnight team from the Daily Politics programme in February 2011. She was not employed by the BBC to write, edit or broadcast for Newsnight. Sally Bercow, a Conservative former Labour MP, is the current leader of the House of Commons