Alan Milburn has been forced to pledge emergency legislation on human cloning following a high court challenge.

Yesterday's ruling that there was no barrier in UK law to prevent human cloning under the Human Fertility and Embryology Act 1990 led health ministers to announce that the government would introduce emergency laws if an appeal failed.

Lord Hunt said: "We are totally opposed to human reproductive cloning and have said that we will introduce legislation to make this a specific criminal offence."

The challenge was brought by the anti-abortionist group the Pro-Life Alliance.