Starmer facing new Labour rebellion as MPs fight to extend porn ban

The government is trying to find a solution to banning depictions of step-incest in online pornography amid warnings of a "significant rebellion" from female MPs.

Ministers have been accused of "losing the plot" after promising to ban depictions of incest in online porn but not step-incest. Politics Live: Reeves ready to support release of oil reserves The debate is part of efforts to crackdown on harmful pornographic content online, following a review by Conservative peer Baroness Gabby Bertin.

Her amendment calling for step-incest to be included in the ban was backed by 144 votes to 143 in the House of Lords last week, meaning it could now face a vote in the Commons. Sky News understands efforts are ongoing to find a way around what ministers regard as a key complication - that relationships between adult step relatives are not illegal in real life.

Ministers believe this will make banning their depiction in pornography difficult to enforce. However a "significant number" of female Labour MPs are prepared to rebel if the government does not back a ban, Sky News has been told.

One senior MP said the government's argument "doesn't pass the sniff test" as half of all sexual abuse cases against children are perpetrated by step-parents. They told Sky News: "Once you are arguing about the detail you have lost the plot, it's the principle.

"No one wants to go through the lobby and vote for step-incest porn. "If the Conservatives are minded to back the [Bertin] amendment, it wouldn't take huge numbers to get to a defeat." Another MP described the row as "more cockup than reasoning.