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Assisted dying may very neatly be legalised in England and Wales after a historic vote saw proposed legislation clear its first hurdle in Parliament. A majority of MPs supported a Invoice that would allow terminally in uncomfortable health adults with a life expectancy of much less than six months to finish their lives.
There had been at occasions emotional scenes in the Commons as politicians on each sides of the debate made impassioned arguments for and against what has been described as a “major social reform”. Encouraging or assisting suicide is currently against the law in England and Wales, with a maximum jail sentence of 14 years.
MPs voted 330 to 275, majority 55, to approve Kim Leadbeater’s Terminally In uncomfortable health Adults (Finish of Lifestyles) Invoice at second reading. Opposition and professional-change campaigners had gathered outside Parliament from early on Friday.
The four-and-a-half-hour debate in the Commons heard arguments from MPs about a must give alternative to dying other folks. Labour MP Ms Leadbeater insisted her Invoice has strict safeguards against coercion and said a new law would give society “a much better approach towards end of life”.
She insisted the approach was no longer that assisted dying can be a substitute for palliative care, but that when it cannot meet the wants of a dying particular person “the choice of an assisted death should be one component of a holistic approach to end-of-life care”.
Conservative ragged minister Andrew Mitchell revealed he had “completely changed my mind” on assisted dying, having found himself with “tears pouring down my face” on hearing the reports of constituents whose loved ones had died “in great pain and great indignity”.
Nonetheless Conservative MP Danny Kruger, lead MP for opponents of the Invoice, said he believed Parliament can achieve “better” for terminally in uncomfortable health other folks than a “state suicide service”.
Mr Kruger’s mother, Great British Bake Off want Dame Prue Leith, has been vocal in her beef up for legalisation of assisted dying. Mr Kruger branded the Invoice “too flawed”, while Labour MP Rachael Maskell said the proposed legislation is the “wrong and rushed answer to a complex problem”, and “falls woefully short on safeguarding patients”.
The Invoice will subsequent rush to committee stage where MPs can table amendments, sooner than facing additional scrutiny and votes in each the Dwelling of Commons and the Dwelling of Lords, meaning any change in the law wouldn’t be agreed except subsequent year at the earliest. Ms Leadbeater has said it will possible be a additional two years from then for an assisted dying carrier to be in place.
Dame Esther Rantzen, who’s terminally in uncomfortable health and has argued strongly for a change in the law, said she was “absolutely thrilled” with the final result of the vote.
She informed the PA news agency: “I listened to the debate and it was very deeply felt. Members of Parliament, whether they opposed it or proposed it, had obviously given it a great deal of thought, and right up to the end of the debate, I had no idea whether it would be voted through or not. So I’m absolutely thrilled with the results.”
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer voted in favour of the assisted dying legislation, parliamentary voting data shows.
Participants of the Cabinet who voted for the assisted dying legislation had been: Chancellor Rachel Reeves, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Pat McFadden, Dwelling Secretary Yvette Cooper, Defence Secretary John Healey, Energy Safety and Score Zero Secretary Ed Miliband, Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall, Science Innovation and Expertise Secretary Peter Kyle, Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander, Atmosphere Secretary Steve Reed, Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy, Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn, Welsh Secretary Jo Stevens, and Commons Leader Lucy Powell.
Participants of the Cabinet who voted against the assisted dying legislation had been: Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner, International Secretary David Lammy, Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood, Health Secretary Wes Streeting, Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson and Business and Trade Secretary Jonathan Reynolds. There was no vote recorded for Secretary of State for Scotland Ian Murray.
Earlier top minister Rishi Sunak has voted in beef up of the assisted dying Invoice, while Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch has voted against.
Shadow chancellor Mel Wander, shadow residence secretary Chris Philp, and shadow education secretary Laura Trott voted in beef up of the Terminally In uncomfortable health Adults (Finish of Lifestyles) Invoice at its second reading.
Among these voting against the Invoice had been shadow overseas secretary Priti Patel, shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick, and shadow work and pensions secretary Helen Whately. The Conservative shadow health secretary Edward Argar also voted against the Invoice.
Commons data shows the listing of shadow ministers who voted for assisted dying: Mel Wander, Chris Philp, Laura Trott, James Cartlidge, and Victoria Atkins.
The listing of shadow ministers who voted against assisted dying: Kemi Badenoch, Richard Fuller, Priti Patel, Alex Burghart, Helen Whately, Andrew Griffith, Claire Coutinho, Robert Jenrick, Edward Argar, Stuart Andrew, Gareth Bacon, Alan Mak, Mims Davies, Andrew Bowie, and Jesse Norman.
