Thai Premier Has Few Options and Fewer Allies

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The dysfunction of Thai politics — responsible for roughly a dozen coups since 1932 — is again on full display, with the government at risk of losing control over parliament less than a year after taking power.

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News24

32 minutes ago

• News24

UK MPs vote in favour of assisted dying bill in historic step

Britain's MPs approved initial assisted dying legislation for terminally ill adults, advancing it to the House of Lords. Supporters argue for dignity and choice, while critics fear coercion and call for enhanced palliative care. Public support grows, but the bill faces opposition and challenges before potential implementation in four years. Britain's parliament took a historic step towards allowing euthanasia on Friday when MPs backed contentious legislation that would introduce assisted dying for terminally ill people. Lawmakers in the lower House of Commons chamber voted 314 in favour to 291 to send the proposal to the upper House of Lords for further scrutiny following four hours of emotional debate. The outcome sparked celebrations among supporters gathered outside parliament who say legalised euthanasia will give people with an incurable illness dignity and choice at the end of their lives. But opponents attending a neighbouring counter-protest said they feared vulnerable people could be coerced into dying and urged lawmakers to focus on improving palliative care instead. The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill would allow assisted suicide in England and Wales for adults who have been given less than six months to live. They would have to be able to administer the life-ending substance themselves, and any patient's wish to die would have to be signed off by two doctors and a panel of experts. A change in the law would see Britain emulate several other countries in Europe and elsewhere that allow some form of assisted dying, including Belgium and the Netherlands. 'Heartbreaking stories' Labour MP Kim Leadbeater, who proposed the legislation, told Friday's so-called third reading debate that a law change would 'offer a compassionate and safe choice' for terminally ill people. She said maintaining the status quo would mean more 'heartbreaking stories' of 'pain and trauma, suicide attempts, PTSD, lonely trips to Switzerland, (and) police investigations'. However, Vicky Foxcroft, also of Labour, said the proposal did not include adequate safeguards for disabled people. She pleaded: We have to protect those people who are susceptible to coercion, who already feel like society doesn't value them, who often feel like a burden to the state, society and their family. Outside parliament, protesters waved placards with slogans including 'Let us choose' and 'Don't make doctors killers'. David Walker, 82, said he supported changing the law because he saw his wife of 60 years suffer for three years at the end of her life. 'That's why I'm here because I can't help her anymore, but I can help other people who are going through the same thing because if you have no quality of life, you have nothing,' he told AFP. But Elizabeth Burden, a 52-year-old doctor, said she feared the legislation would open a 'slippery slope' where those eligible for assisted dying expands. 'Once we allow this. Everything will slip down because dementia patients, all patients... are vulnerable,' she told AFP. Public support MPs in the 650-seat parliament backed an earlier version of the proposed legislation by 330 to 275 votes at an initial vote in parliament last November, a larger majority than Friday's 23. Since then, the bill has undergone several changes, including applying a ban on adverts for assisted dying and allowing all health workers to opt out of helping someone end their life. MPs added a safeguard which would prevent a person from being eligible 'solely as a result of voluntarily stopping eating or drinking', ruling out people with anorexia. Britain's medical community and Prime Minister Keir Starmer's top ministerial team are split on the proposed law change. Starmer voted in favour, while his health and justice secretaries opposed it. However, in a YouGov poll of 2,003 adults surveyed last month and published Thursday, 73% of respondents backed an assisted dying law. 'Change is coming,' hailed Sarah Wootton, chief executive of the Dignity in Dying campaign group. But Catherine Robinson of Right To Life UK insisted the bill 'still faces an uphill battle' to get through the Lords, and her opposition campaign group 'will be fighting it at every stage' to prevent it from becoming law. READ | UK politician says Bangladesh arrest warrant is 'politically motivated smear' The House of Lords now needs to approve the legislation before the end of the current parliamentary year, likely in the autumn, or the bill will fail. If it passes and receives royal assent, it would still be four years before an assisted dying service was implemented. A government impact assessment published this month estimated that approximately 160 to 640 assisted deaths could take place in the first year, rising to a possible 4,500 in a decade. Assisted suicide currently carries a maximum prison sentence of 14 years in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Separate legislation is going through the devolved Scottish parliament. At the end of March, the Isle of Man became the first British territory to pass an assisted dying bill.

Yahoo

an hour ago

• Yahoo

Rantzen: MPs backing assisted dying Bill will protect people from ‘bad death'

Dame Esther Rantzen has said MPs backing the assisted dying Bill will make a 'huge positive difference' and protect terminally ill people from a 'bad death'. The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill will now head to the Lords after clearing the Commons on Friday afternoon, with MPs voting 314 in favour, 291 against, majority 23. Dame Esther, a notable supporter of campaign Dignity in Dying who has stage four lung cancer, told the PA news agency: 'This will make a huge positive difference, protecting millions of terminally ill patients and their families from the agony and loss of dignity created by a bad death. 'Thank you, Parliament.' Campaigners inside Parliament and outside in Parliament Square were jubilant and tearful following the result of the vote. Some MPs lined up to shake hands with or hug Kim Leadbeater, the Bill's sponsor through the Commons. Ms Leadbeater described the vote as a 'result that so many people need'. The Labour MP for Spen Valley said: 'Thank goodness we got the result that so many people need, but I also feel that it was done really respectfully and the atmosphere in the chamber was very civilised.' Outside, a cheer erupted as the result was announced on a livestream to a crowd who had huddled together in anticipation. Many cried and hugged each other, while others popped champagne. Dame Esther's daughter, Rebecca Wilcox, called her mother in front of supporters and told her she wished she was here. Ms Wilcox came to Parliament Square following the vote and hugged fellow campaigners and friends. She told PA that she gave Ms Leadbeater's mum a 'big hug' following the result and added: 'I don't know whether to have a drink or a really big cry. 'There were a few of us in the public gallery and we were all holding hands. I felt like we were on a rollercoaster. 'It was the longest pause when everyone came in and we were waiting for the four and when I heard a three for the 'ayes' I was quite positive. 'It was quite extraordinary. I turned around and gave Kim's mum a great big hug.' Sarah Wootton, chief executive of Dignity in Dying, told the crowd: 'This is for all the people who couldn't be here today. This vote sends a clear message. Parliament stands with the public and change is coming.' Sian Berry, a Green Party MP and one of the proposers of the Bill, told PA: 'We all have experience of loved ones at the end of their lives that have influenced this. So many of my constituents have written to me telling me their stories. You really feel the importance of what you're doing this for. 'I'm confident we have made the Bill robust and I do believe this reflects public opinion.' Supporter Tim Murphy, 39, from London, said: 'My friend David went to Dignitas four years ago and he had to die sooner than he should have had there been a workable law in this country. 'This will impact so many people. So much of the [opposition] campaign has been hypothetical situations in the future but not taking into consideration the actual deaths that have occurred.' Those opposed to the Bill were visibly disappointed. People had gathered to pray before the vote but the crowd of white-shirted campaigners quickly dispersed following the result. Many packed up their signs and left the square and did not speak to the press. Bishop of London Dame Sarah Mullally, a former chief nursing officer for England who sits in the House of Lords, said: 'Every person is of immeasurable and irreducible value, and should be able to access the care and support that they need – a principle that I know is shared by those of all faiths and none. 'We must oppose a law that puts the vulnerable at risk and instead work to improve funding and access to desperately needed palliative care services.' Sean Redfearn, 26, representing Christian Concern, said: 'It's disappointing the nation is stepping closer for people to take their own lives.' 'There is no progress as progress suggests flourishing and there's no flourishing with allowing the ending of a life.'

Yahoo

an hour ago

• Yahoo

How your MP voted in assisted dying bill

Assisted dying is one step closer to becoming legal in the UK following a landmark vote in the House of Commons. A Bill that would allow terminally ill adults with a life expectancy of less than six months to end their lives was backed by a majority of MPs today (Friday). It came despite warnings from opponents, who argued it had been rushed through Parliament. During a three hour debate on Friday, MPs on both sides of the issue recalled personal stories of loved ones who had died. READ MORE: UK Ryanair Boeing 737 flight crashes at Greek airport READ MORE: Why UK heatwaves feel hotter than 30C heat abroad Former Conservative minister Sir James Cleverly, who led the opposition to the Bill in the Commons, spoke of a close friend who died 'painfully' from cancer. He said he comes at the divisive issue 'not from a position of faith nor from a position of ignorance', and was driven in his opposition by 'concerns about the practicalities' of the Bill. See how your MP voted in the widget below... Encouraging or assisting suicide is currently against the law in England and Wales, with a maximum jail sentence of 14 years. But the proposed legislation took another step in the parliamentary process, which means the Bill will move to the House of Lords for further debate and scrutiny. Labour MP Kim Leadbeater has argued her Bill will 'correct the profound injustices of the status quo and to offer a compassionate and safe choice to terminally ill people who want to make it'. Due to the four-year implementation period, it could be 2029 – potentially coinciding with the end of this Government's Parliament – before assisted dying is offered. Today's historic vote was the first time the Bill was debated and voted on in its entirety since last year, when MPs supported the principle of assisted dying for England and Wales by a majority of 55 at second reading. MPs voted 314 to 291, majority 23, to approve Ms Leadbeater's Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill at third reading. They had a free vote on the Bill, meaning they decided according to their conscience rather than along party lines.