Parliament Revisits Assisted Dying Bill as MPs Vote on Controversial Legislation

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MPs have voted to reject the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill at its Second Reading, defeating by 286 votes to 270 – a majority of 16 – a fresh attempt to legalise assisted dying in England and Wales. The result marks a reversal from the previous Commons vote on the legislation in June 2025, when MPs backed it by 314 to 291. The Bill, which would have allowed terminally ill adults with fewer than six months to live to apply for an assisted death subject to sign-off from two doctors and an expert panel, had been brought back to the Commons by Labour MP Lauren Edwards, who took over as its sponsor from Kim Leadbeater after it stalled in the House of Lords in April, when peers ran out of time to finish scrutinising it amid claims that opponents had deliberately dragged out debate.

Friday's sitting featured some four and a half hours of debate in which MPs frequently drew on personal and family experience of death and dying. Opening proceedings, Edwards argued that MPs, rather than an unelected upper chamber, should determine the outcome and appealed to colleagues to send the Bill back to the Lords so peers could complete their scrutiny. Several MPs who had previously supported the Bill switched sides, among them Labour's Janet Daby, who told the chamber she had been troubled by nightmares about death since her earlier vote and could no longer back the legislation in good conscience. Labour MP Ashley Dalton, who revealed she is living with incurable stage four breast cancer, urged colleagues to reject the Bill, arguing dying patients had been frightened by exaggerated claims about the manner of their deaths and that the legislation lacked safeguards for those with unassessed mental health needs. Conversely, Labour's Claire Hazelgrove spoke of her mother's death from a rare blood cancer and argued that not all suffering could be relieved by palliative care. Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch, who voted against, said she was not opposed to assisted dying in principle but considered the Bill rushed and poorly drafted, questioning whether the NHS was ready and objecting to a private member's bill being pushed through with government support. Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey also voted against, while Prime Minister Andy Burnham and Reform UK leader Nigel Farage both abstained, with Burnham saying he did not wish to sway the outcome.

News of the defeat was met with audible cheers, a shout of 'good' and MPs hugging and celebrating in the chamber, according to reporting from the scene. Campaigners against the Bill said the vote had effectively settled the question of assisted dying for a generation, while supporters expressed dismay at the collapse of legislation that had twice previously cleared the Commons. Coverage highlighted contrasting personal testimony from members of the public on both sides of the issue: former NHS nurse Karen O'Malley described contemplating suicide after being told, incorrectly as it turned out, that she had six to nine months to live with cancer, and said she feared what she might have done had assisted dying been available to her at her lowest point; she has since been declared cancer-free. By contrast, Caroline Hearsey recalled her mother's plea to be 'put out of her misery' as she died within six weeks of an oesophageal cancer diagnosis, and backed the Bill as a result. Prominent figures were similarly split, with broadcaster and Childline founder Dame Esther Rantzen among those calling for the law to change, while actress Liz Carr campaigned against the Bill on safeguarding grounds.

The vote draws a line, for now, under a lengthy and emotionally charged process that began when the legislation first passed the Commons under Sir Keir Starmer's leadership before being reintroduced this year. Had it cleared the Commons again, supporters were said to be considering invoking the Parliament Acts to force the Bill through the Lords regardless of peers' objections, a route that becomes moot following Friday's defeat. The size of the swing since last year's vote, driven in part by MPs who had previously supported the Bill changing their minds, underscores how contested the issue remains within Parliament even as public debate over assisted dying is likely to continue.

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