MPs from all the main parties have backed changes to the law that would abolish rules allowing abortions up to the point of birth for an unborn child diagnosed with Down syndrome.

An amendment to the Criminal Justice Bill being tabled by Sir Liam Fox, a former cabinet minister, would bring the law in line with the 24-week abortion limit for foetuses with no “serious disabilities”.

He said the change in the law would stop people with Down syndrome being treated as second-class citizens, a situation he described as an “absolutely utter travesty”.

The most recent abortion statistics published by the Department of Health and Social Care revealed that there were 859 abortions involving a baby diagnosed with Down syndrome in 2021, up by a quarter from the previous year.