Andy Burnham says he will abstain from the next Commons vote on the assisted dying Bill, arguing that the Prime Minister should not influence what is intended to be a free vote for MPs. The move maintains the Government’s neutral position on whether the law should change.

The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill returns to the Commons on 11 September after falling in the Lords in April when time ran out before prorogation. It would let terminally ill adults in England and Wales with fewer than six months to live seek an assisted death, subject to approval by two doctors and an expert panel. Burnham has said palliative and social care funding should be improved first, while supporter Lauren Edwards says better care and greater end-of-life choice can proceed together.