Britain's most senior Roman Catholic accused Tony Blair of an 'abuse of Parliamentary democracy' last night by refusing MPs a debate on controversial gay rights laws.Cardinal Cormac Murphy O'Connor criticised the Prime Minister for forcing through regulations making it illegal for adoption agencies to reject gay couples.
Instead, MPs were allowed a single vote on the Sexual Orientation Regulations, which the Government won last night by 210, despite 100 Tories voting against.
Peers will try to block the regulations in the Lords tomorrow.
But the Cardinal said: "It is, surely, an abuse of Parliamentary democracy that these regulations are being considered only through a hurriedly arranged and very brief meeting of 16 appointed MPs, and a short debate in the House of Lords.
"During the House of Commons committee meeting, opportunity for serious debate was denied.
Profound public concern about aspects of these regulations has not been heard."
The Catholic church has threatened to close 13 adoption agencies because it cannot accept a law which contradicts its teachings on the central role of the traditional family.
Christian, Jewish and Muslim leaders have also said they will 'discriminate heavily' against anyone who expresses the view that gay sexual acts are not equal to the conjugal love of heterosexual married couples.
More than 20 Tory MPs, including former leader Iain Duncan Smith and Shadow Attorney General Dominic Grieve, turned up at a committee which rubber-stamped the rules last week to try to debate the issue, but were repeatedlyblocked by Meg Munn, the Minister responsible for the regulations.
It is normal practice to give MPs a week's notice even for minor legislation and it is likely that committee members would not have had time to read the regulations.
The 90 minutes allocated for debate last night involved one MP other than three front-bench spokesmen as Miss Munn gave no opportunity to discuss them.
Former home office minister Ann Widdecombe said last night there had been an 'almost unprecedented shortness of time' from the Act being introduced and moved into the Commons.
They were being moved with 'extreme and unseemly haste,' she said.
Tory MP William Cash said: "I am absolutely appalled by this whole thing.
These regulations are being railroaded through like they didn't matter. We know that the Prime Minister didn't want the regulations to go this way. We know Ruth Kelly didn't want it."
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