Assisted dying bill passes after vote paving the way for historic change

The most significant Commons vote on social policy since abortion was legalised in the 1960s has seen MPs agree to the principle of the state assisting in people’s deaths for the first time

MPs have voted in favour of the assisted dying bill paving the way for historic change not seen since abortion was legalised in 1967.

After five hours of intense and heartfelt debate, in which some members of parliament were brought to tears, the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill was passed in the House of Commons with 330 voting in favour and 275 against.

The result was a bigger majority than many were predicting after similar legislation was soundly defeated in 2015.

Under the terms of the Bill, terminally ill adults with a prognosis of six months or less could seek assistance to end their life, provided two doctors and a High Court judge confirm their decision.

Kim Leadbeater opens the debate on the second reading (UK Parliament)

MPs were given a “free vote” on the issue, meaning they could vote according to their conscience and not along party lines.

While Keir Starmer backed the bill, his government was split with both cabinet ministers ultimately responsible for ensuring it is enacted - health secretary Wes Streeting and justice secretary Shabana Mahmood - voting against.

And the legislation is not certain to be passed with already more than 200 amendments tabled in the Commons and the House of Lords expecting to put it under intense scrutiny when it comes to them. Added to that, a number of MPs only gave qualified support at second reading with the proviso they would not vote for it without significant amendment at third reading.

Kim Leadbeater, the Labour MP who put forward the Bill, said it would “give society a much better approach towards end of life”, whereas Tory MP Danny Kruger argued that it would pave the way for a “state suicide service”.

Mr Kruger, who led opposition to the Bill, said following the vote that “a lot of people are very worried about the lack of safeguards”. He said there will be further opportunities to improve the Bill, and if that’s not possible, to reject it.

Campaigners in favour of assisted dying hailed the result, saying “thousands of people will be heartened by this result”. But those campaigners who had been fighting against it promised “this is not over”.

MPs gathered to hear the result of the vote on the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill (House of Commons/UK Parliament) (PA Wire)

The Bill will now go to the committee stage where MPs can table amendments, before facing further votes in both the House of Commons and the House of Lords.

Ahead of the debate, opponents had warned that the Bill would open the door for coercion and its restricted terms would inevitably be expanded by “activist judges in the courts”. But the debate heard of harrowing cases where desperate people had turned to suicide.

Dame Esther Rantzen said that she was “absolutely thrilled” at the result, but said it was unlikely to make an impact to her own life.

The broadcaster, who is terminally ill, said minutes after the historic vote: “It’s going to take probably almost two years for it to change the law, and I’d be astonished if the drug I’m on manages to extend my life that far”.

The broadcaster Esther Rantzen, who is terminally ill, has been a strong advocate for changing the law to allow dying adults to take their own lives in limited circumstances (PA Media)

Trevor Moore, Chair of My Death, My Decision, added: “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.”

Patricia Donoghue, 70, who is in favour of assisted dying after seeing her husband Kevan’s painful death in 2015, told The Independent that the vote was “amazing news”.

She added: “I’m a bit surprised but I’m relieved. I’m hopeful that it will become law and that people will have a choice. It’s not for everybody, but for those who would like to have that choice it is an amazing day.

Bryan Grayson, who saw his father-in-law refuse food and water at the age of 102 and wants a change to the law, said the vote was a “significant first step”.

However Merv Kenward, who has campaigned against assisted dying with his wife Nikki, was “really disappointed”. He added: “We’ve lost this particular battle but the war certainly isn’t over”. His wife Nikki became a campaigner against assisted dying after being suddenly paralysed by Guillain-Barre syndrome aged 36.

The Church of England’s lead bishop for healthcare, Dame Sarah Mullaly, said that safeguarding the vulnerable “must now be our priority”. Bishop John Sherrington of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales called on Catholics to “pray that members of parliament will have the wisdom to reject his bill at a later stage”.

Andrea Williams, chief executive of Christian Concern, said that today was a “very Black Friday for the vulnerable in this country”.

In a five hour debate MPs agonised over the pros and cons of a dramatic change to the law, which former minister Robert Jenrick described as “a cliff edge with no return”.

Veteran Labour MP Diane Abbott has suggested there is a “better Bill” on assisted dying which could come forward in the future, as she said she “cannot vote for a Bill” with doubts about the safeguards within it.

She reminded the House that in 1969 MPs abolished the death penalty because they did not think that the state should be responsible for ending people’s lives.

Sir David Davis revealed he would be backing the assisted dying Bill at its second reading, but urged the government to give MPs more time to debate it in future.

Sir David said he had changed his mind on assisted dying, describing himself as a believer in the “sanctity of life” but also in freedom from torture and misery, and confirmed he would support its continuation through parliament.

In a direct message to Labour ministers, he said: “This Bill is more important than most of the Bills in your manifesto.”

Former Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron has warned NHS trusts in areas with the weakest palliative care offer will have the highest uptake of assisted dying. The MP for Westmorland and Lonsdale warned of “self-coercion’’ and said: “My opposition to this Bill is grounded in compassion.”

Campaigners react on hearing the result (Getty)

A Labour MP who has lived with a disability all her life said she would support the assisted dying Bill, but described the decision as “one of the hardest that I have had to make”.

Marie Tidball (Penistone and Stocksbridge) told the Commons: “Instead I focused on enabling disabled people to live better more fulfilling lives. Today I find myself voting in a way that I thought I never would, I will be voting in favour of moving the Bill to the next stage of the legislative process.”

But Conservative former minister Sir John Hayes warned: “This Bill changes the relationship between clinicians and patients forever. It says to the NHS, your job is not only protect and preserve life, it is sometimes to take life.”

While some, including Mr Streeting and former prime minister Gordon Brown, have argued that palliative care should be improved before assisted dying is agreed to, Dr Simon Opher, a GP and the Labour MP for Stroud, suggested assisted dying is a “tool” in palliative care.