The new health secretary has said she will not "undo any aspects of abortion laws", following her previous vote against extending abortion rights.

Suffolk Coastal MP Thérèse Coffey became the new deputy prime minister and health secretary following the appointment of Liz Truss as prime minister on Monday, September 5.

Previously, she voted against same-sex marriage in 2013 and extending abortion rights in Northern Ireland.

After the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the 1973 legal ruling for abortion Roe vs. Wade in June, Ms Coffey said: "I would prefer that people didn't have abortions but I am not going to condemn people that do."

Ms Coffey, a practising Catholic, was asked about her stance on abortion on Sky News this morning and said: "I'm conscious I have voted against abortion laws.

"What I will say is I'm the complete democrat and that is done, so it's not that I'm seeking to undo any aspects of abortion laws."

She also voted against making at-home abortion pills permanently available in England and Wales, but said on BBC Breakfast: "Well, I'm a democrat and the vote was won in parliament by people who wanted to make that permanent.

"There are many other people who are exceptionally pro-abortion who did not want that to happen. However, parliament voted and that happened and the regulations are already in place."

The British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS), which offers NHS-funded abortions, has said Ms Coffey's record on abortion rights is "deeply concerning".

BPAS chief executive Clare Murphy told the BBC: "We need a health secretary who wants to improve access to a medical procedure that one in three women will need in their lifetime, not impose further restrictions."

Upon accepting the health secretary position, Ms Coffey set out her top priorities for the role by tweeting: "I am honoured to be asked to serve as SoS for Health and Social Care. Patients are my top priority, as we focus on ABCD - ambulances, backlogs, care, doctors and dentists."