Politicians and Church leaders launched a concerted effort to deflect the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill during its second reading in the House of Lords. Centre for Social Justice leader Iain Duncan Smith fired the opening salvo with an article in the Mail on Sunday (Nov 17) where he wrote "if the Bill becomes law next year another nail will have been hammered into the coffin of the traditional family". The former Tory leader was seen by some to be challenging David Cameron to declare which side the Conservative party is on "in the fightback to save our civilisation" (columnist Melanie Phillips, Daily Mail, Nov 19).

The Church team was led by leading Catholic Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor in an open letter to The Times (Nov 19) warning the legislation would undermine the role of the father by "subordinating the natural rights of a child to the desires of lesbian couples". Dr John Sentamu, Archbishop of York, accused the Government of going against its own 2004 legislation in by proposing "the removal, by design, of the father of the child".

Politicians of all parties called for Gordon Brown to grant the Labour party a free vote when the "contentious and controversial bill" (Daily Mail, Nov 19) returns to the Commons.