Latest news with #EndOfLifeBill
Telegraph
2 hours ago
- Health
- Telegraph
Live MPs to vote on legalising assisted dying
MPs will vote this afternoon on whether to legalise assisted dying in a potentially historic moment for the country. The House of Commons backed the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill in principle last November, by 330 votes to 275, a majority of 55. Dozens of hours of scrutiny have followed, with numerous amendments made, and MPs will now decide if they want to give the Bill its third reading - the final major hurdle all legislation must clear before it heads to the House of Lords for further consideration. If the Bill is voted through by MPs today it will almost certainly ensure assisted dying is introduced, with the upper House unlikely to stand in the way of a decision made by the democratically-elected chamber. But if the Bill is voted down, its passage through the Houses of Parliament will be over and the issue will likely be parked for a generation. Supporters of the Bill have argued dying people must be given the choice to end their lives but critics have warned proposed safeguards are not strong enough to protect the most vulnerable in society. The proposed legislation would allow terminally ill adults in England and Wales, with fewer than six months to live, to apply for an assisted death, subject to approval by two doctors and a panel featuring a social worker, senior legal figure and psychiatrist. MPs have been given a free vote on the Bill which means they are able to decide based on their conscience rather than being instructed along party lines. The relatively narrow margin of victory at second reading in November means today's vote could be tight and all eyes will be on how many MPs could switch sides. For example, the Bill would be defeated if 28 MPs were to switch from voting yes to no, and if all other MPs voted the same way they did in November, including abstentions. Kim Leadbeater, the Labour MP who brought the legislation forward, said she was 'confident' the Commons will back her Bill, allowing it to continue its journey to the statute book. The issue has split the Cabinet. Sir Keir Starmer, the Prime Minister, is expected to back the Bill but Wes Streeting, the Health Secretary, will vote against it.
The Independent
12 hours ago
- Health
- The Independent
MPs switch sides to vote no to ‘drastically weakened' assisted dying Bill
Four MPs have confirmed they are switching their vote on the assisted dying Bill from yes to no, branding it 'drastically weakened'. Labour's Paul Foster, Jonathan Hinder, Markus Campbell-Savours and Kanishka Narayan wrote to fellow MPs to voice concerns about the safety of the proposed legislation. The letter comes on the eve of a crucial vote on Friday which would see the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill either clear the House of Commons and move to the Lords, or fall completely. The MPs wrote: 'The Bill presented to MPs in November has been fundamentally changed. 'This is not the safest Bill in the world. It is weaker than the one first laid in front of MPs and has been drastically weakened. 'MPs were promised the ultimate protection from a High Court Judge but that protection is missing from the final Bill.' They said colleagues with 'any doubts about the safety of this Bill' should 'join us tomorrow and vote against it'. As it stands, the proposed legislation would allow terminally ill adults in England and Wales, with fewer than six months to live, to apply for an assisted death, subject to approval by two doctors and a panel featuring a social worker, senior legal figure and psychiatrist. While the MPs cited the replacement of a High Court safeguard with the expert panels, Bill sponsor Kim Leadbeater has insisted the change is a strengthening of the legislation, incorporating wider expert knowledge to assess assisted dying applications. But concerns around the panels have also been raised by the Royal College of Psychiatrists (RCPsych), which announced in recent weeks that it has 'serious concerns' and cannot support the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill in its current form. The college's lead on assisted dying for England and Wales, Dr Annabel Price, expressed worry there will not be 'enough space or time to carry out proper, holistic assessments', and that the only involvement on a panel being to check decisions made by others 'is deeply troubling'. The relatively narrow majority of 55 from the historic yes vote in November means every vote will count on Friday. While acknowledging there could be some change in the numbers, Bill sponsor Kim Leadbeater has insisted she remains confident it will pass the third reading stage and move on to be considered by peers in the Lords. Speaking on Thursday, she said: 'There might be some small movement in the middle, some people might maybe change their mind one way, others will change their mind the other way but fundamentally I don't anticipate that that majority would be heavily eroded so I do feel confident we can get through tomorrow successfully.' Ms Leadbeater has insisted her Bill is 'the most robust piece of legislation in the world' and has argued dying people must be given choice at the end of their lives in a conversation which has seen support from high-profile figures including Dame Esther Rantzen. Making her case for a change in the law, she said: 'I know that many colleagues have engaged very closely with the legislation and will make their decision based on those facts and that evidence, and that cannot be disputed. 'But we need to do something, and we need to do it quickly.' A YouGov poll of 2,003 adults in Great Britain, surveyed last month and published on Thursday, suggested public support for the Bill remains high at 73% – unchanged from November. The proportion of people who feel assisted dying should be legal in principle has risen slightly, to 75% from 73% in November. MPs are entitled to have a free vote on the Bill, meaning they decide according to their conscience rather than along party lines. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has indicated he will continue to back the Bill, as he did last year, saying earlier this week that his 'position is long-standing and well-known' on assisted dying. Health Secretary Wes Streeting, while describing Ms Leadbeater's work on the proposed legislation as 'extremely helpful', confirmed in April that he still intended to vote against it. Ms Leadbeater has warned it could be a decade before assisted dying legislation returns to Parliament if MPs vote to reject her Bill on Friday.
BBC News
16 hours ago
- Health
- BBC News
Leadbeater 'confident' assisted dying bill will pass Commons
Kim Leadbeater, the MP behind the assisted dying bill, has said she is "confident" MPs will back the legislation when it returns for its final stage in the House of Commons on the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill - which allows terminally ill adults to get medical assistance to end their own lives - is approved it will then go to the House of Lords for further scrutiny. MPs gave the proposal their initial backing in November, with 330 MPs voting in favour and 275 debate over the bill has become increasingly fractious and since last year at least a dozen MPs who backed or abstained on the bill had said they were likely to oppose it. On Thursday, a further four Labour MPs said they were switching sides to oppose the bill. Markus Campbell-Savours, Kanishka Narayan, Paul Foster and Jonathan Hinder said the bill had been "drastically weakened" since last year's vote. In a letter to colleagues, they warned that safeguards in the bill were "insufficient" and would "put vulnerable people in harm's way".Speaking at a press conference in central London, Leadbeater said the bill was "the most robust piece of legislation in the world".She said it had got a "good majority" of 55 in November, adding: "There might be some small movement in the middle, some people might change their mind one way, others will change their mind the other way."But fundamentally, I don't anticipate that that majority would be heavily eroded. So I do feel confident we can get through tomorrow successfully."She added that if the bill didn't pass, it "could be another decade before this issue is brought back to Parliament". Some MPs have complained that the bill had not been given enough scrutiny and earlier this week 50 Labour MPs urged the government to allow more time for debate. Leadbeater insisted it was "not being rushed through", adding: "This has been going on since November. This is not a quick thing that's happened overnight. It has gone through hours and hours and hours of scrutiny." As is usual for matters of conscience, MPs will get a free vote, meaning that they do not have to follow any particular party Minister Sir Keir Starmer voted in favour of the bill last year and has indicated that he will do so again on Friday. Earlier this week he told reporters his position was "long-standing and well-known".Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has said that although she had previously supported the principle of assisted dying, she would not vote for the bill. "This bill is a bad bill. It is not going to deliver. It has not been done properly," she said."This is not how we should put through legislation like this. I don't believe that the NHS and other services are ready to carry out assisted suicide, so I'll be voting no, and I hope as many Conservative MPs as possible will be supporting me in that."Broadcaster Esther Rantzen, who is terminally ill, has been a vocal supporter of the bill. She said it would help those "for whom life has become unbearable and who need assistance, not to shorten their lives but to shorten an agonising death". Leadbeater's bill would let terminally ill people end their life if they: are over 18, live in England or Wales, and have been registered with a GP for at least 12 monthshave the mental capacity to make the choice and be deemed to have expressed a clear, settled and informed wish, free from coercion or pressurebe expected to die within six monthsmake two separate declarations, witnessed and signed, about their wish to diesatisfy two independent doctors that they are eligible - with at least seven days between each the first vote in November, the bill has been scrutinised and the bill said a High Court judge would have had to approve each request to end a life. However, this has now been replaced by a three-person panel including a senior legal figure, a psychiatrist and a social changes include doubling the maximum time allowed between the bill being passed and becoming law from two years to four; allowing health workers to opt out of the process and introducing a ban on advertising assisted dying services. The bill will only become law if it is approved by both MPs and peers in the House of Lords.
The Independent
2 days ago
- Health
- The Independent
Starmer hints he will back assisted dying Bill ahead of crunch vote
The Prime Minister has indicated he will back the assisted dying Bill ahead of a crunch vote, as opponents warned against legislation they say is not safe enough to protect the most vulnerable. The result of Friday's expected vote could see the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill either progress to the House of Lords or fall completely. Sir Keir Starmer, who voted yes in November and also supported a 2015 attempt to legislate for assisted dying, said his position on the issue is 'long-standing and well-known' – giving no suggestion his mind had changed on the matter. Friday will be the first time the Bill has been voted on in its entirety since last year's historic yes vote, when MPs supported the principle of assisted dying for England and Wales by a majority of 55. MPs are entitled to have a free vote on the Bill, meaning they decide according to their conscience rather than along party lines. While supporters of the Bill say it is coming back to the Commons with better safeguards after more than 90 hours of parliamentary time spent on it to date, opponents claim the process has been rushed and that changes to the Bill mean it is now weaker than it was when first introduced. This week, dozens of Labour MPs opposed to the Bill urged a delay to the vote. Asked whether he thought they were wrong to do so, Sir Keir told reporters in Canada: 'It is a matter for individual parliamentarians, which is why I've not waded in with a view on this publicly, and I'm not going to now it's coming to a conclusion. 'There has been a lot of time discussing it, both in Parliament and beyond Parliament, and quite right too. It's a really serious issue. 'My own position is long-standing and well-known in relation to it, based on my experience when I was chief prosecutor for five years, where I oversaw every case that was investigated.' While the Prime Minister is among the high-profile supporters of the Bill, both Health Secretary Wes Streeting and Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood voted against it in November. Meanwhile, Dame Esther Rantzen's daughter said she is 'really hopeful' the Bill can pass the major vote, as she warned against 'scaremongering' by opponents. Rebecca Wilcox, the daughter of the terminally ill broadcaster and Childline founder Dame Esther, said: 'We are really hopeful that we have the numbers (in the Commons). 'We obviously want people to keep writing to their MP, saying that they support the Bill, because we know that nationally the numbers are with us.' Ms Wilcox described the Bill as a 'really safe, clever piece of law' and insisted its safeguards would ensure it is not extended beyond its current scope of terminally ill adults while it would improve on the 'cruel status quo that exists at the moment'. Responding to warnings from opponents around those with depression or eating disorders being more vulnerable to being caught up in a new law, Ms Wilcox urged people against 'scaremongering'. She said: 'Yes, you may be depressed because you have a terminal diagnosis, but that's not to do with it. You can't just be depressed. You can't just have an eating disorder. 'And this is an example of some of the scaremongering that has been going on on the other side of the debate, and I completely understand that they are desperate to stop it, but if you are desperate to stop it, please don't exaggerate the truth. Please don't exaggerate a lie.' Speaking during a debate on amendments to the Bill last week, Labour MP Rupa Huq warned that 'in a cost-of-living crisis, assisted dying could be quite attractive', as she pledged to be a 'voice of the voiceless'. She said while she probably would have supported such a Bill in her younger years, '10 years of being an MP has exposed me to coercion, duress, the millionaire price of London property and elder abuse'. She added: 'We know that Esther Rantzen wants this. We know Jonathan Dimbleby wants this. But our role is to be the voice of the voiceless as well.' Asked about her mother – who has terminal cancer and has been outspoken in campaigning for a change in the law – Ms Wilcox said Dame Esther is 'coping' as she nears her 85th birthday this weekend. She told Sky: 'She's coping. This has been a long slog, and we're hoping that we can maybe have a rest this weekend, particularly as it is her birthday on Sunday. 'So we are so grateful and so appreciative of all the time that we have with her, particularly as she turns 85 looking rather fabulous.' Gordon Macdonald, chief executive of opposition campaign group Care Not Killing, said their polling had suggested the public 'is deeply concerned that this Bill could put pressure on vulnerable people to end their lives prematurely'. He added: 'These problems will be compounded if Parliament continues to rush this legislation, fails to restore safeguards such as the scrutiny of the High Court and fixing palliative and end-of-life care in the UK, which is in crisis. 'This is why, day by day, more and more disabled people, doctors, nurses, lawyers and campaigners are urging MPs to kill the Bill, not the sick and vulnerable.' As it stands, the proposed legislation would allow terminally ill adults in England and Wales, with fewer than six months to live, to apply for an assisted death, subject to approval by two doctors and a panel featuring a social worker, senior legal figure and psychiatrist.
The Independent
2 days ago
- Health
- The Independent
Dame Esther Rantzen's daughter ‘hopeful' assisted dying Bill can pass major vote
Dame Esther Rantzen's daughter said she is 'really hopeful' the assisted dying Bill can pass a major vote on Friday, as she warned against 'scaremongering' by opponents. The result of the vote could see the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill either progress to the House of Lords or fall completely. It will be the first time the Bill has been voted on in its entirety since November's historic yes vote, when MPs supported the principle of assisted dying for England and Wales by a majority of 55. While supporters of the Bill say it is coming back to the Commons with better safeguards after more than 90 hours of parliamentary time spent on it to date, opponents claim the process has been rushed and that the Bill is now weaker than it was when first introduced last year. Rebecca Wilcox, the daughter of the terminally ill broadcaster and Childline founder Dame Esther, said England and Wales must 'catch up with the rest of the world' in changing the law. She told Sky News: 'We need to show that we are an empathetic country that appreciates choice at the end of your life.' Amid reports some MPs who voted yes to the Bill in November could vote no on Friday, she insisted a majority of the public want the legislation to pass. She said: 'We are really hopeful that we have the numbers (in the Commons). We obviously want people to keep writing to their MP, saying that they support the Bill, because we know that nationally, the numbers are with us.' Ms Wilcox described the Bill as a 'really safe, clever piece of law' and insisted its safeguards would ensure it is not extended beyond its current scope of terminally ill adults. She told Sky: 'It's a Bill for the terminally ill. It's a Bill for adults, and in every jurisdiction where they've had a similar Bill with such strict safeguards it is not extended to anybody else. It has not widened the scope of it. The slippery slope doesn't exist. 'So what we have here, what Kim Leadbeater has brought forward and has pushed through Parliament so gracefully and so carefully and empathetically, is a really safe, clever piece of law that will stop the cruel status quo that exists at the moment where nobody knows what they can do, where people are dying in agony every single day. ' Responding to warnings from opponents around those with depression or eating disorders being more vulnerable to being caught up in a new law, Ms Wilcox urged people against 'scaremongering'. She said: 'Yes, you may be depressed because you have a terminal diagnosis, but that's not to do with it. You can't just be depressed. You can't just have an eating disorder. 'And this is an example of some of the scaremongering that has been going on on the other side of the debate, and I completely understand that they are desperate to stop it, but if you are desperate to stop it, please don't exaggerate the truth. Please don't exaggerate a lie.' Speaking during a debate on amendments to the Bill last week, Labour MP Rupa Huq warned that 'in a cost-of-living crisis, assisted dying could be quite attractive', as she pledged to be a 'voice of the voiceless'. She said while she probably would have supported such a Bill in her younger years, '10 years of being an MP has exposed me to coercion, duress, the millionaire price of London property and elder abuse'. She added: 'We know that Esther Rantzen wants this. We know Jonathan Dimbleby wants this. But our role is to be the voice of the voiceless as well.' Asked about her mother – who has terminal cancer and has been outspoken in campaigning for a change in the law – Ms Wilcox said Dame Esther is 'coping' as she nears her 85th birthday this weekend. She told Sky: 'She's coping. This has been a long slog, and we're hoping that we can maybe have a rest this weekend, particularly as it is her birthday on Sunday. 'So we are so grateful and so appreciative of all the time that we have with her, particularly as she turns 85 looking rather fabulous.' As it stands, the proposed legislation would allow terminally ill adults in England and Wales, with fewer than six months to live, to apply for an assisted death, subject to approval by two doctors and a panel featuring a social worker, senior legal figure and psychiatrist. MPs are entitled to have a free vote on the Bill and any amendments, meaning they decide according to their conscience rather than along party lines.
