Politics LIVE: Assisted dying vote today - MPs have final say on 'last chance' decision
MPs will take part in a crunch Commons vote on the assisted dying Bill today. It will be the first time the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill has been debated and 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.
It is the third reading stage before the Bill will move through to the Lords. MPs are entitled to have a free vote, meaning they decide according to their conscience rather than along party lines.
The relatively narrow majority means every vote will count to secure the Bill's passage to the House of Lords for further debate and voting. Labour MP Kim Leadbeater said she is confident MPs will back her Bill in the crucial vote. Dame Esther Rantzen warned it is the “last chance for years - maybe decades - to give terminally ill patients the hope the desperately need”.
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.
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In what will be seen as a blow to the Bill, four Labour MPs confirmed on the eve of the vote that they will switch sides to oppose the proposed new law.
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.
They branded it “drastically weakened”, citing the scrapping of the High Court Judge safeguard as a key reason.
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch also urged her MPs to vote against the legislation, describing it as “a bad Bill” despite being “previously supportive of assisted suicide”.
This is the third reading of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill in the House of Commons. It is likely to be the final major vote in the Commons on the proposed new law.
MPs have already had a chance to discuss amendments to the Bill (although there will be a little more discussion of these today) and now they will vote on whether to approve it or not.
If MPs do vote for the Bill, it will then go to the Lords for a series of debates.
The Lords will have an opportunity to reject the Bill. They will also have the chance to make changes to it.
If the Lords does change the Bill, or rejects it entirely, then it's likely MPs in the House of Commons will hold more debates. However, the main House of Commons decision is the one taking place today. In practice, we'll discover today whether the law will change or not.
The vote is expected some time between 2pm and 2.30pm.
The Express has spoken to terminally ill mum Sophie Blake, a former TV presenter, who told us why she wants the law to change.
Sophie lives with incurable breast cancer and is allergic to opioid painkillers. She said: “This is not about wanting to die, but to be able to live the rest of my life with the peace and comfort of having choice."
express.co.uk
