Latest news with #Wales
The Independent
37 minutes ago
- Health
- The Independent
Assisted dying latest: Landmark bill hangs in balance ahead of crucial MPs vote
The assisted dying bill is back in the Commons on Friday as MPs prepare for a crucial vote that could see it either fall or move on to the House of Lords. Campaigners are making their final cases ahead of the third reading of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill at 9.30am. A vote is expected later on Friday afternoon. The bill 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. Supporters of the bill have argued that people must be given a choice at the end of their lives, but opponents have warned that it fails to guarantee protections for society's most vulnerable. MPs are entitled to have a free vote on the bill, meaning they decide according to their conscience rather than along party lines. The relatively narrow majority means every vote will count on Friday, to secure the bill's passage for further debate and voting.
BBC News
an hour ago
- BBC News
Eryri police find bodies of men missing years apart in same spot
It was a mystery that left detectives baffled after a 33-year-old doctor vanished without a trace while walking in Eryri National in August 2012 Shayne Colaco, 33, from Stoke-on-Trent, had been hiking in the Carneddau range in north Wales when he did not return to his car. He was not seen the time, the experienced hiker's disappearance sparked an extensive operation by air and on foot, with the search described by experts as a "needle in a haystack" in the Ogwen was not until 12 years later that a vital clue led to the discovery of Mr Colaco's body in May 2024, only metres away from fellow hiker David Brookfield who had disappeared months before the discovery and died while walking in the same area. Mr Brookfield, 65, from Skelmersdale, Lancashire, had been walking alone on 9 January 2024 when he went Wales Police said Mr Brookfield had sent a text to his wife from the top of Carnedd Llewelyn, but no further contact was ever received. The experienced walker had intended to complete an "amazing" 15km (nine mile) route in good weather, police said, but with forecasts that it would deteriorate throughout the is believed he entered the broad mouth of a gully during his descent from his final summit at Pen yr Ole Wen when he fell and became seriously "extensive searches in challenging winter weather conditions", Mr Brookfield could not be found."The weather worsened, snow continued to fall... after the first couple of weeks we realised there wasn't any more we could do from the ground," said Sgt Paul Terry, of North Wales Police. Four months after his disappearance, coastguard helicopter crews discovered Mr Brookfield's body after seeing a glimpse of blue while carrying out a routine training exercise through the Ogwen was during his recovery that volunteers also located a single item of clothing that led them to find the remains of Mr Colaco. Sgt Terry, who assisted the rescue of the two bodies, said the circumstances were "exceptional" as many of the volunteers working on the rescue were involved in the initial search for Mr Colaco 12 years of the winchmen who located Mr Brookfield from the helicopter was also part of RAF squadron looking for Mr Colaco."It shows the amazing willingness and determination of volunteers and the emergency services to find both these men."Sgt Terry said it was while investigating Mr Brookfield's death that a mountain rescue team member found a jacket about 5m (16ft) further down the gully. "The jacket didn't seem to fit with the picture of what we were investigating. It was an older jacket, one that seemed to have been there for some time and inside the pocket was a car key," he said. "Deep in the memory of this rescue team was Shayne Colaco, who had gone missing in the same area 12 years earlier."Sgt Terry said he was "amazed" to find the jacket was very similar to the one Mr Colaco was wearing on the day he went missing. Further investigations then confirmed the key in the pocket was the key to his car, a Fiat Seicento."Suddenly, we realised we may have a clue as to where he may have been all this time." A mountain rescue drone operator then helped find Mr Colaco's body. It is now believed his descent from the summit of Pen yr Ole Wen took the same fatal turn as Mr Brookfield's. Sharing the tragic story, Sgt Terry voiced his condolences to the men's families and friends, as well as warning of the dangers of walking in Eryri, also known as Snowdonia. He said both men ended up in very dangerous ground, "which might have seemed inviting from the summit, but as it got steeper and more broken, it became harder"."It's important to understand the scale of these hills and the impact of weather – and how quickly it can change," he said. "We want you to come and enjoy these beautiful mountains in Eryri, it is amazing, but come and be safe and enjoy it."And so, I have a very simple safety message - be prepared."
BBC News
an hour ago
- Health
- BBC News
Assisted dying bill supporter scared of 'being trapped in pain'
A woman who is "terrified" of being "trapped" in pain has said assisted dying should be available to all those "suffering intolerably".Gemma Williams, from Carmarthenshire, has lived with multiple sclerosis (MS) for more than 20 years and said her condition can affect her sight, leave her unable to leave bed and cause real Friday MPs will vote on proposed legislation to allow people in England and Wales approaching the end of their life to access medical help to opponents say the plans are "unsafe". "It's awful when I've had periods where I'm just in so much pain on a daily basis," said Ms Williams, from Llanddeusant."Luckily I know that there's been periods of remission, and it has eased, but if that was my reality and it was going to be there all the time I really don't know how I would deal with that."The 47-year-old said she believed assisted dying should be available for all those "suffering intolerably"."You can have the best palliative care in the world and still be in pain and suffering," she said."Why prolong it and be forced to go on suffering?"It's wrong that somebody else should tell me I have to continue living in agony when I don't want to and there's no way of alleviating that pain." What is the assisted dying bill? The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill was introduced by Labour MP Kim proposes letting 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 pressureare 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 assessmentCritics of the bill include Paralympian and House of Lords crossbencher Baroness Grey-Thompson."The current bill is unsafe, this is not about the principle, it is about the detail," she told BBC Wales. "The bill would allow any doctor to raise this no matter how vulnerable the patient is, including those with learning disabilities. "Private for profit contractors can run the service with no profit cap and no transparency obligations," she added. What is the assisted dying vote on Friday? On Friday MPs will vote on whether to pass or reject the entire they vote in favour, it will move on to the House of Lords for further consideration. If they do not support it, the bill will MPs last voted on the bill in November it was backed by 330 votes to Wales' 32 MPs, 23 voted in favour, six voted against and three did not Labour MP for Vale of Glamorgan Kanishka Narayan has already said he will vote against the bill on Friday having supported it in told BBC Wales that while he believed "in the principle" of assisted dying, "the safeguards currently present leave just too many vulnerable people exposed to either misinformed or coerced death".Meanwhile, Labour MP for Rhondda and Ogmore Sir Chris Bryant - who abstained in November - has said he will back the bill this Cymru's Liz Saville Roberts has supported the legislation to date and ahead of Friday's vote said "we cannot look away from suffering simply because the legislation is difficult".However her Plaid colleague Ann Davies will vote against the bill, and said she was "not convinced this legislation provides adequate safeguards for the most vulnerable".Monmouthshire Labour MP Catherine Fookes said she would back the plans after seeing her father's experience with illness and palliative care."Sadly, the current law is failing too many terminally ill people," she said. How would assisted dying work in Wales? Before a vote is held on the bill as a whole, the Commons will first have to complete discussions and vote on outstanding amendments, including one that relates to the power of the Welsh a previous change to the bill, as things stand the Senedd would have the right to choose when most of the bill would become law in is seeking to reverse that, leaving the Senedd with powers over how the system would work within the Welsh NHS, but not over the law as a of the Senedd (MSs) voted against the principle of an assisted dying law last October, with 19 in support and 26 those opposed at the time were First Minister Eluned Morgan and Health Minister Jeremy Miles - senior figures in the government who would be tasked with implementing the bill in the bill completes its journey through the UK Parliament and becomes law, the Senedd would have to vote again on whether they agree with the is expected that vote would take place in the autumn.
BBC News
3 hours ago
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Sam Locke did audition for Danny Boyle's 28 Years Later with nan
A 24-year-old Welsh actor says he recorded a self tape with his nan to land a role in a highly-anticipated post-apocalyptic horror Danny Boyle's new film 28 Years Later - the third in the series that began with 28 Days Later back in 2002 - was released in UK cinemas on new chapter of the story, starring Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Ralph Fiennes, features 24-year-old Sam Locke from Merthyr Tydfil, making his feature film Locke said his casting journey for the project had humble beginnings in Wales. He said he was visiting his grandmother, Wendy, when the call came in for the self-tape."We had a good time filming that, she read in for the roles," he told Behnaz Akhgar on BBC Radio added he was back with his nan, "in the same living room", when he got the good news that he had secured the job, nearly three months later."I was sat with my grandfather and he was telling me 'if you don't get the role, don't be disheartened' and literally about 10 minutes after my agent rang with the confirmation," he said."There was a lot of excitement."He said he would be watching the film on release day with his mother and some family friends, but would be sure to take his grandparents for a trip to the cinema said he was proud of everything he had achieved, but equally of his Merthyr roots."I pinch myself every day." 28 Years Later picks the story up as survivors find a way to exist among the infected after the Rage virus escaped a medical research is set on Holy Island, or Lindisfarne, a real-life island off the coast of north-east England."That's where the survivors of our story live and then it takes us onto the mainland many times, and you see what's lying over there," said warned this film, like those that came before it in the trilogy, was "very gory", adding he did not want to give too much away, but could reveal he plays a "minimal" role in this film - but one which helps set the plot up "for films going forward"."We're very energetic, we're very physical, and it's a conversation starter," he said."Luckily I'm quite active anyway," added the keen skateboarder and Liverpool FC fan."But we had a week of stunt training and that pretty much trained our endurance."It helped us gel together, my immediate cast. We needed that week, and you'll see why." He said he loved working with "film-making royalty" Danny Boyle, adding: "It's bucket list, for almost any actor, so when I found out I got it I did more research on him and was excited to work with him."But being on set, he said, was "a different kettle of fish"."He's got authority, but he's calm with it. He makes you feel comfortable," he said the premier in London on Wednesday, which was the first viewing of the finished film for him and some of the other supporting cast members, was "brilliant"."We were all blown away," he previously starred in the BBC series The Way - directed by Michael Sheen - while he was still a student."To be part of that, with so much Welsh talent… Michael Sheen's passion towards the project rubbed off on everyone involved."
The Independent
3 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.
