Assisted dying House of Commons vote: Key numbers and trends
Support for the Bill was higher among MPs elected for the first time at this year’s general election.
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Your support makes all the difference.Here is how the vote on the second reading of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill breaks down, including by gender, geography and House of Commons experience.
The figures are based on the total number of MPs able to express a preference in the vote, which was 639: 635 who could cast a vote, plus two tellers – or counters – for those MPs in favour (“aye”) and two tellers for those MPs against (“no”).
The 11 MPs not able to express a preference were the seven Sinn Fein MPs, who do not take their seats at Westminster, plus the Speaker and the three Deputy Speakers, who do not vote.
– Gender
A higher percentage of female MPs backed the Bill than male MPs.
Of the 258 female MPs able to express their preference, 143 or 55% were in favour (this includes one of the “aye” tellers); 107 or 41% were against (including two “no” tellers); seven or 3% had no vote recorded; and one (Labour MP Emma Hardy) voted both for and against.
Of the 381 male MPs, 188 or 49% backed the Bill (including one “aye” teller); 169 or 44% opposed it; and 24 or 6% had no vote recorded.
– Commons experience
Support for the Bill was higher among MPs elected for the first time at this year’s general election than among MPs who first entered parliament at previous elections.
Of the 347 MPs first elected in 2024 who were able to indicate a preference, 220 (63%) were in favour, 118 (34%) were against and nine (3%) had no vote recorded.
By contrast, of the 292 veteran MPs, 111 (38%) backed the Bill – including two “aye” tellers; 158 (54%) opposed it – including two “no” tellers; 22 had no vote recorded; and one (Labour MP Emma Hardy) voted both for and against.
– Geography
South-west England is the area of the UK with the highest proportion of MPs backing the Bill (78%), followed by Wales (72%), the East Midlands (64%) and Yorkshire & the Humber (63%).
Northern Ireland saw the lowest proportion (9%), followed by Scotland (30%), London (37%) and north-east England (41%).
The remaining figures are eastern England (54%), south-east England (54%), north-west England (51%) and West Midlands (44%).
– Party
Of those parties in the Commons with more than one MP, the DUP, Greens and SNP were the only parties who did not split their vote.
All four Green MPs voted in favour and all five DUP MPs voted against.
None of the SNP’s nine MPs had a vote recorded.
Plaid Cymru (three in favour, one against) and Reform (three in favour, two against) were both split, while for the SDLP one MP was in favour and the other had no vote recorded.
Of the three Northern Ireland parties represented by a single member – the Alliance, Traditional Unionist Voice and the Ulster Unionists – each respective MP voted against the Bill.
The Liberal Democrats were split 61 in favour and 11 against.
Labour split 234 in favour, 147 against and 18 no vote recorded, with Emma Hardy MP voting both in favour and against.
Two Labour MPs, Bambos Charalambous and Sarah Owen, were tellers for the “aye” vote, while Labour MP Florence Eshalomi was a teller for the “no” vote.
The Conservatives split 23 in favour and 92 against.
One Tory MP, Harriett Baldwin, was a teller for the “no” vote.
– Cabinet
Some 15 members of the Cabinet voted in favour: Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander, Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn, Chief Whip Alan Campbell, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, Defence Secretary John Healey, Work & Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall, Science & Technology Secretary Peter Kyle, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Pat McFadden, Energy Secretary Ed Miliband, Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy, Leader of the Commons Lucy Powell, Environment Secretary Steve Reed, Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Secretary for Wales Jo Stevens.
Eight Cabinet members voted against: Women & Equalities minister Anneliese Dodds, Chief Secretary to the Treasury Darren Jones, Foreign Secretary David Lammy, Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood, Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson, Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner, Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds and Health Secretary Wes Streeting, while one minister, Secretary for Scotland Ian Murray, had no vote recorded.