MPs vote in favour of allowing assisted dying in England and Wales after emotional Commons debate
29 November 2024, 14:34 | Updated: 29 November 2024, 16:41
MPs have taken the historic step of voting in favour of a bill which would legalise assisted dying.
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It follows five hours of debate and means terminally ill adults can choose to end their life.
The bill, which would give adults with less than 6 months to live with a terminal illness - the right to help with ending their lives, passed with a majority of just 55 votes.
Some members argued it could allow more dignity in death, but others are worried it could put even more pressure on the NHS.
The bill still needs to go through several steps before becoming law.
On Friday afternoon, MPs voted 330 to 275, majority 55, to approve it at second reading.
Read more: Assisted dying: what is it and how could the law change?
'Very pleased'
Labour MP Kim Leadbetter, who brought the private members' bill, told LBC she is "really pleased" with the result.
She also added she was "emotionally exhausted".
"It's been a tough day.
"It was a very emotional debate.
She said the debate had been "very compassionate and respectful."
Ms Leadbetter later added that she had been "speaking a lot about death recently and that takes its toll".
How key MPs voted
With 650 MPs voting following today's assisted dying bill debate, it's time to see how the key figures voted.
MPs who voted FOR the assisted dying legislation were:
- Prime Minister Keir Starmer
- Former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak
- Chancellor Rachel Reeves
- Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Pat McFadden
- Home Secretary Yvette Cooper
- Defence Secretary John Healey
- Energy Security and Net Zero Secretary Ed Miliband
- Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall
- Science Innovation and Technology Secretary Peter Kyle
- Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander
- Environment Secretary Steve Reed,
- Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy,
- Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn
- Welsh Secretary Jo Stevens
- Commons Leader Lucy Powell
MPs who voted AGAINST the assisted dying legislation were:
- Tory leader Kemi Badenoch
- Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey
- Reform UK leader Nigel Farage
- Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner
- Health Secretary Wes Streeting
- Foreign Secretary David Lammy
- Shadow foreign secretary Dame Priti Patel
- Mother of the House Diane Abbott
- Former home secretary Suella Braverman
- Former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn
- Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood
- Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson
- Business and Trade Secretary Jonathan Reynolds
'Equal choice'
Dame Esther Rantzen said that the Bill offers everyone "equal choice".
When asked what she would say to those who are disappointed by the result of Friday's vote, she told PA: "Well the point about this Bill is it offers choice and all those who don't want an assisted death and don't want to take part in providing assisted dying can opt out of it, don't have to do it, don't choose to end their lives that way.
"So it offers everyone equal choice, whatever their religion."
Earlier this month, the Archbishop of Westminster suggested it would be "abhorrent" to exclude religious views from the assisted dying debate after Dame Esther said she was deeply disappointed in his previous comments on the issue.
Read more: LIVE: MPs vote in favour of allowing assisted dying after emotional five-hour debate
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A spokesperson for Sir Keir Starmer said that the Government's position on assisted dying "remains neutral".
The spokesperson said: "As is a matter of public record, the Prime Minister voted for the Assisted Dying Private Members' Bill.
"The Government's position remains neutral, and we will respect the will of Parliament."
Pro-change campaigners said the vote in favour of assisted dying will leave thousands of people "heartened".
Trevor Moore, chairman of My Death, My Decision said: "Thousands of people will be heartened by this result. "Every day, 20 people in the UK are suffering unbearable pain at the end of their lives despite receiving the best possible care.
For them, the choices are stark and harrowing: travel to Switzerland, and end their life by suicide, stop eating or drinking, or face and agonising natural death.
"These people deserve better. They deserve the dignity of choice at the end of their lives, and we are relieved to see MPs acknowledge this.
"We are glad that MPs listened to the public and the evidence, and we hope this Bill will pass its subsequent stages through further respectful and essential debate."
'Disappointed'
Danny Kruger, one of the leading opponents of the assisted dying legislation, said he was "disappointed" by the result but was pleased MPs "recognised that the Bill is very dangerous".
He told the PA news agency: "I'm very disappointed that the House voted for second reading today, but as Kim Leadbeater and others repeatedly said, the vote was simply to continue the discussion.
"I want to hold them to that and I was reassured that so many colleagues recognised that the Bill is very dangerous, there's lots of problems with it and they have said they want to improve it in committee.
"I want to help them do that and I hope we can make substantial improvements before it comes back for third reading and I hope that if it's not good enough, if the safeguards are not strengthened then colleagues will vote against it before it comes into law."
He said he had not thought about whether he would seek to sit on the committee that will carry out detailed scrutiny of the Bill.
What is assisted dying?
This, and the language used, varies depending on who you ask.
Pro-change campaigners Dignity in Dying argue that, along with good care, dying adults who are terminally ill and mentally competent deserve the choice to control how and when they die.
But the campaign group Care Not Killing uses the terms "assisted suicide" and "euthanasia", arguing that the focus should be on "promoting more and better palliative care" rather than any law change.
They say legalising assisted dying could "place pressure on vulnerable people to end their lives for fear of being a financial, emotional or care burden upon others" and argue the disabled, elderly, sick or depressed could be especially at risk.
What is the current law?
Assisted dying is banned in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, with a maximum prison sentence of 14 years.In Scotland, it is not a specific criminal offence but assisting the death of someone can leave a person open to being charged with murder or other offences.
What does the new assisted dying bill propose?
Labour MP Kim Leadbeater formally introduced her Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill to Parliament in October.
If passed, the law would change to allow people with less than six months to live to decide whether to take their own life.However, the bill includes a number of safeguards - patients must be:
- 18 or over and live in England and Wales, and be registered with a GP for at least 12 months
- have the mental capacity to make the decision voluntarily, and express “a clear, settled and informed wish to end their own life” free from coercion or pressure
- satisfy two independent doctors that they meet the criteria - with at least seven days between the assessments
If the doctors agree that the person is eligible for assisted dying, they must apply to the High Court to approve their request.
Once the High Court approves the application, and after a 14-day reflection period (48 hours in urgent cases), the person must make a second declaration that they wish to end their life, signed and witnessed by a doctor and one other person.
James O'Brien and caller Ian on assisted dying
What happens if someone is eligible for assisted dying?
Once a person has completed this process, they are prescribed with an “approved substance” that will end their life.
The self-administered medicine must be taken by the person themselves, without the help of a medical professional.
One other safeguard in the bill is that it would be illegal to pressure someone to make a declaration that they wish to die or to take the medicine, with a maximum prison sentence of 14 years.
