Members of Parliament from across the political divide have voted overwhelmingly to ensure abortion undertaken for reasons of sex-selection is made illegal.

MPs voted 181 to 1 for a Bill put forward by Tessa Munt and 11 other MPs aiming to end confusion about the legality of this practice.

The uncertainty was revealed by The Telegraph last year when the Director of Public Prosecutions chose not to bring charges against two doctors caught on camera agreeing to arrange abortions of baby girls purely because of their sex.

The case was investigated by Scotland Yard and passed on to the Crown Prosecution Service, which said that although there was enough evidence, it was not “in the public interest” to bring charges.

Liberal Democrat MP for Wells Tessa Munt said:

“Whilst this incident was a rare occurrence in the UK, in countries like India, China and Pakistan it’s a big problem. I felt it would be helpful to clarify the law for the avoidance of doubt in the future.”

The Bill will have its second reading in Parliament in January.