Watch: MPs stock idiosyncratic stories successful assisted dying debate
ByRichard Wheeler
Political reporter
MPs person voted against proposals to legalise assisted dying successful England and Wales, bringing the latest effort to alteration the instrumentality to an end.
Following a statement successful which some sides made affectional speeches, the House of Commons voted 286 to 270, bulk 16, against the projected legislation.
The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill would person allowed adults with less than six months to unrecorded to use to beryllium fixed assistance to extremity their ain life, taxable to definite safeguards.
A akin measure successful the past parliamentary league was supported by MPs earlier stalling successful the House of Lords. The determination from MPs connected Friday rules retired the imaginable of changes to the instrumentality connected assisted dying successful the short-term.
The measure tabled by Labour MP Lauren Edwards volition marque nary further progress, though MPs and peers could marque different effort successful the adjacent parliamentary session.
Assisted dying is an contented that has been debated for hundreds of hours successful Parliament implicit the past 2 years and would person represented 1 of the biggest societal changes successful caller years if it had been approved.
MPs were fixed a escaped vote, meaning they did not ballot connected enactment lines.
Safeguards wrong the measure included a request that a idiosyncratic applying for an assisted decease had the support of 2 doctors and an adept panel.
But critics said it included excessively fewer measures to support susceptible radical from being coerced into ending their lives, portion immoderate accidental improving palliative attraction should beryllium the priority.
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There were affectional scenes extracurricular Parliament from some sides aft MPs voted against giving the measure a 2nd reading.
Dame Esther Rantzen, who was incapable to articulation supporters successful Parliament Square, told the BBC that it was "so bittersweet that radical successful this state won't person the choice" that terminally sick adults person successful different countries.
The Childline laminitis said: "I americium definite a alteration successful the instrumentality volition come. I americium profoundly bittersweet that it won't travel soon capable for galore of the radical who request it, it's a tragic day."
The broadcaster, 86, is terminally sick with crab and has said she is present "too physically fragile" to question to Switzerland to extremity her beingness astatine an assisted termination clinic.
Image source, EPA/Shutterstock
Opponents of the assisted dying measure respond aft MPs voted against it
Edwards, the Labour MP for Rochester and Strood, said: "Parliament has dropped the shot today.
"It volition beryllium picked up again arsenic it indispensable be, due to the fact that the instrumentality arsenic it stands is simply excessively cruel and excessively unjust to beryllium allowed to stand."
Labour MPs Ashley Dalton, Dame Meg Hillier and Jess Asato, who each opposed what they described the "unsafe and unworkable" bill, welcomed the decision.
In a associated statement, they said: "This is not a infinitesimal for celebration, we recognize the heavy concerns of truthful galore radical crossed the state who person campaigned hard for a alteration successful the law.
"But the information is nary of the applicable royal aesculapian colleges, nonrecreational groups oregon experts volition attest to the information oregon workability of this bill."
They said determination is simply a request to "fix our NHS and benignant retired societal and palliative attraction earlier we adjacent see introducing assisted dying".
Sarah Wootton, main enforcement of Dignity successful Dying, said "thousands of terminally sick radical volition proceed to endure against their wishes successful their past days and weeks".
She added she inactive believes "law alteration is inevitable".
Care Not Killing main enforcement Gordon Macdonald described the ballot arsenic "decisive".
He said: "Our anticipation is that MPs present absorption connected repairing palliative attraction successful the UK and securing the indispensable backing to marque definite that nary substance what portion of the state you unrecorded in, you tin entree the champion imaginable attraction disposable and are treated with dignity and respect."
Image source, EPA/Shutterstock
Supporters of assisted dying respond successful Parliament Square pursuing the ballot successful the Commons
The measure successful the past parliamentary league was brought guardant by Labour MP Kim Leadbeater and cleared the House of Commons connected 20 June 2025 with a bulk of 23.
But it ran retired of clip to advancement done each the indispensable stages successful Parliament aft immoderate peers successful the House of Lords tabled much than 1,200 amendments.
Edwards brought guardant the proposals again successful a bid to guarantee peers could "finish their job", though this volition nary longer instrumentality place.
During the debate, Labour MP Janet Daby was among those to corroborate she would ballot against the measure contempt antecedently supporting it.
She told the Commons she had "nightmares astir dying and death" aft voting successful favour of the past bill, adding: "I had to wrestle with myself, knowing that I was not wholly comfy with the determination I had made, and my conscience was not astatine peace, and I cannot again, successful bully conscience, ballot for the bill."
In different of the idiosyncratic testimonies during the debate, Labour MP Claire Hazelgrove spoke astir her mother's determination to bring her late-stage terminal unwellness to an extremity "on her terms".
The MP for Filton and Bradley Stoke said the "harmful presumption quo" meant her parent died unsocial successful October past year, aft surviving with a uncommon humor crab for fractional her life.
Hazelgrove argued "not each symptom tin beryllium palliated" arsenic she spoke successful favour of the bill.
Conservative MP Martin Vickers said his "firm" presumption was that "if assisted dying is legalised we volition beryllium poorer arsenic a society, we volition person a crossed a line", adding it would besides alteration the "relationship betwixt doc and patient".
Liberal Democrat MP Tom Gordon called for a alteration successful the instrumentality and described the measure arsenic "better than what we presently have, which offers nary safeguards and nary protections for radical successful those last moments".
Prime Minister Andy Burnham did not ballot connected the measure connected Friday, antecedently describing it arsenic "a substance for Parliament to decide".
He has antecedently said helium personally believes that funding for end-of-life attraction successful the UK should beryllium improved earlier legalising assisted dying is considered.
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