The health secretary has warned that the bill will result in vulnerable people being “coerced” into ending their lives. Parliament’s most experienced MPs have been scathing of both the legislation’s “process” and “likely practice once implemented,” which a former attorney-general says would breach Britain’s human rights laws. Even parts of Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s own team believe this has been rushed, and regret that it was brought forward in the first place.
Yet MPs have voted in favour of legalising assisted suicide, by a majority of 330 to 275.
Among those who backed the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill were 234 from Labour (58% of the party’s MPs), 23 Tories (19%) and a majority from Reform UK (60%). Reform’s Rupert Lowe revealed earlier in the day that he was voting for the law to be changed because just over 1% of his constituents told him to.
The vote took place after a mere five hours of debating, during which time most of those who wanted to make a contribution were unable to do so. Starmer could have allocated more time to the debate, but chose not to.
The PM, who didn’t bother to attend the discussion, voted in favour of legalisation, just as he has in the past. It is worth remembering that the bill was brought forward in the first place after the PM “encouraged” a backbencher to put it down, meaning it could be placed under less scrutiny.
MPs were officially free to vote however they wished, although Labour backbenchers were made aware that their careers could be badly affected by voting “no,” according to reports. That was despite serious warnings that legalisation will badly impact far more people than its proponents suggest.
The Commons will have to vote on the bill again in the spring, once it has passed through the committee stage. If—as is likely—it passes this time too, it will then be sent to the House of Lords and would become an actual law slightly later in the year.
