Susanna Siddell
Guest Reporter
The assisted dying Bill has passed its second reading in the House of Commons today following a five hour debate in the Chamber.
MPs voted 330 to 275 in favour of the bill which was originally introduced as a Private Members' Bill by Labour MP Kim Leadbeater.
Keir Starmer and Rishi Sunak voted to pass the legislation, while Reform UK leader Nigel Farage and Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch voted against the Bill.
The legislation will continue to be scrutinised by lawmakers in the House of Lords.
FOLLOW BELOW FOR LIVE UPDATES THROUGHOUT THE DAY…
MPs have called on the Government to allow smaller parties to get representation on the committee which will scrutinise the assisted dying rule.
Liz Saville Roberts, Plaid Cymru Westminster leader, said their implications for Wales “"ry out for proper consideration", while the DUP’s Jim Shannon called on the committee to fully "represent the views of this House."
MPs backed the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill 330 votes to 275, majority 55, at its second reading.
However, several MPs said their sign off on the draft law will depend on the safeguards they are presented with in the Bill’s final form. Kim Leadbeater, the Labour MP who proposed the Bill, promised the scrutiny process will represent a "range of views."
Reform UK split over the Assisted Dying Bill, with Lee Anderson (Ashfield), Richard Tice (Boston and Skegness) and Rupert Lowe (Great Yarmouth) voting for the bill.
Party leader Nigel Farage (Clacton) and James McMurdock (South Basildon and East Thurrock) voted against it.
Meanwhile, deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner, former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and former Shadow Home Secretary Diane Abbott all voted against the bill, alongside Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey.
Crowds of supporters surrounded and hugged MP Kim Leadbeater outside Parliament after her assisted dying private members’ Bill passed.
Photographers and videographers chased after the Labour MP as she walked over to Parliament Square to celebrate with the supporters.
People shouted "thank you Kim" as she was mobbed by members of the public, activists, and the press.
Speaking to the press, the MP for Spen Valley said: "It’s been tough, you know, these families have campaigned on this issue for years. I know what it means to people, if we hadn’t achieved what we achieved today I’d have let them down.
“I’m also really proud and really pleased that we had a very respectful debate in Parliament. It was robust but it was compassionate. Lots of people with different views, and I think Parliament showed itself in its best light today, and I’m very proud of that.”
MPs ran out of time to debate whether the UK should recognise the state of Palestine.
Independent MP for Leicester South Shockat Adam had seconds left at the end of Parliament’s Friday sitting to present his Palestine Statehood (Recognition) (No 2) Bill, and lost his opportunity to make the case for the law change.
The pro-Gaza MP’s Bill was rescheduled for debate on January 24, but is unlikely to be considered as it now falls to the bottom of the list of private members’ Bills, the law reforms individual MPs champion outside the Government’s agenda.
The Bill would have recognised a Palestinian state based on borders agreed before 1967, and would have also conferred full diplomatic status to Palestine’s mission to the UK.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, Plaid Cymru's leader in the commons Liz Saville Roberts and Green Party co-leaders Carla Denyer and Adrian Ramsay voted in favour of the Assisted Dying Bill.
Leader of the Opposition Kemi Badenoch, Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey, DUP Commons leader Gavin Robinson and Reform UK leader Nigel Farage all voted against the bill.
The SNP's leader in the commons Stephen Flynn did not vote.
A Labour MP has broken down in tears in the House of Commons as she shared her "personal" reason to throw out the assisted dying Bill.
Announcing that she would oppose the Bill, Dame Meg Hillier insisted that MPs had not had the "proper discussion" about palliative care and that, while the debate on the issue must continue, "this Bill must stop today".
The Labour chair of the Treasury select committee spoke out about her own life experience.
She said: "Many of the members of this House will remember when my daughter was very ill a few years ago and I had not intended to speak about this today but she was admitted to hospital with acute pancreatitis as a teenager so this Bill would not have covered her at that point.
“But I did not know for five days, in fact many months, whether she would live or die... but I saw what good medicine can do that palliated that pain, that got her to a place where, although for two and a half months, she was unable to eat, she was saved and the key thing was she was not in pain. She was in pain but it was managed.”
After the speech, Cabinet minister Alison McGovern appeared to be wiping away tears, while MPs gathered around Hillier to provide support.
Shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick has said that the safety measures that have been laid out in the assisted dying Bill are "grossly inadequate".
Speaking in the Commons, Jenrick said: "Bad law on trivial things is bad enough... bad law on matters of life and death is unforgivable."
Additionally, he warned that "activist judges in Strasbourg" would be able to change assisted dying rules if the proposed legislation became law.
The Tory MP for Newark said: "I worry, in fact I am as certain as night follows day, this law if passed will change. Not as a result of the individuals in this chamber or in the Lords, but as a result of judges in other places.
"We’ve seen that time and again. It may be on either side of the debate but it will happen. This Act, if passed, will be subject to activist judges in Strasbourg.
"They will change it fundamentally and we have to be prepared for that. I don’t want to see that happen."
As the debate on the assisted dying Bill reaches its conclusion, Downing Street has refused to comment on how Keir Starmer will vote on the divisive matter.
The PM's deputy spokesman said: “He’s obviously paying extremely close attention to the debate. Ministers must be able to vote according to their conscience."
"People across the country will be paying extremely close attention to today’s vote, but this is a matter of conscience.
“It is for Parliament to decide changes to the law, and the Prime Minister is on record as saying he’s not going to say or do anything that will put pressure on other people in relation to their vote.
“Every MP will have to make his or her mind up and decide what they want to do when that vote comes.”
Elon Musk has broken his silence since Nigel Farage's monumental milestone moment, predicting that Reform UK is set for success in future elections.
At a press conference yesterday morning, the leader of Reform UK announced that former Tory minister Andrea Jenkyns would be standing to be the next Mayor of Greater Lincolnshire for his party.
It came as a shocking blow to Kemi Badenoch, who only ascended to her role as leader of the Conservatives at the start of this month.
Following the announcement, a user on X claimed Reform would win the next election - which was met with a resounding "yes" from the tech mogul.
Speaking in Westminster, Farage - who has been a long-time friend of President-elect Donald Trump - claimed that the Republican and the world's richest man will throw their weight behind him at the next round of UK local elections.
Farage told reporters: “Are Trump and Elon going to support me in the run up to 2029? Well, that’s what friends are for, isn’t it?”
Number 10 has announced the new transport secretary after Louise Haigh stepped down from the position earlier this morning.
Heidi Alexander - who is the Labour MP for Swindon South - will take over the role, Downing Street has confirmed.
Previously, the incoming minister served as the Deputy Mayor of London For Transport for three years, between 2018 and 2021.
Alexander was elected to Parliament in the UK's latest General Election but was first the MP for the constituents of Lewisham East for eight years until 2018.
Labour MP Kim Leadbeater has claimed that most Britons want to allow assisted dying.
Speaking in the House of Commons, Leadbeater, who launched the Private Members' Bill, said: "It is clear that public opinion is very much in favour of a change in the law."
She added: "It may not be that surprising that most people believe as I do that we should all have the right to make the choices and decisions we want about our own bodies.
"Let’s be clear, we are not talking about a choice between life or death, we are talking about giving dying people a choice of how to die."
The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill would permit terminally ill patients with under six months left to live to end their life.
A Tory MP has raised his head above the parapet to give a warning about the "essential flaw" of the assisted dying Bill this morning.
The shadow minister said: "This Bill is too comprehensive and there is too much in it to address in the process of a Private Members’ Bill."
Kruger added that "the definition of terminal illness is, in essence, the essential flaw in this Bill".
He claimed that it was "impossible for doctors to predict with any accuracy that somebody will die within six months, it is a purely subjective judgement".
Additionally, he claimed that the Bill suggests that the initial conversation about assisted death would not have to be started by the terminally ill patient, but the doctor could "plant" the idea throughout treatment.
As Kruger was making his statement, health secretary Wes Streeting was nodding in the chamber, appearing to agree with the Conservative MP.
Andrea Jenkyns has claimed that her sister had to be resuscitated after receiving the Covid vaccine.
Speaking to GB News Andrea Jenkyns said: “I mean, look, my sister had the vaccine. She died and had to be resuscitated and she woke up paralysed from the neck down, she had a reaction.
“It was the Covid vaccine and so they said she'd ever walk again, and she took nine months to learn to walk again and she's amazing. And so I've seen what that's done.
“So people need to know what's in their foods, what's in their vaccinations and actually the impacts on the human body. It's so important."
Members of Parliament will debate and vote on the much-anticipated assisted dying Bill today - for the first time since 2015.
Lawmakers originally voted against the legislation but, now, they have become more divided over the issue.
As a result, it has made a resounding return to the parliamentary chamber in what could be considered a landmark policy for Britain.
The parliamentary timetable has portioned out approximately five hours for MPs to take part in a debate ahead of the vote before 2.30pm.
Elected representatives have remained unsure on the polarising issue, although Labour MP Kim Leadbeater - who introduced the Bill - has remained hopeful that the "major social reform" will progress onto the second stage.
Most MPs are yet to announce how they will be voting.
As a matter of conscience, MPs are not tied to vote according to party lines.
Nigel Farage has described Ben Habib's departure from Reform UK as a "champagne moment" and "absolute icing on the cake" in a frank interview on GB News.
The Reform UK leader expressed his satisfaction at Habib's decision to sever contact with the populist party.
Farage claimed that his ex-colleague had become increasingly critical, stating that Habib had "attacked me more in public than the Labour Party have".
He explained that the tensions arose following post-election leadership changes within Reform UK.
READ THE FULL STORY HERE
A new poll has revealed that Reform UK has received its biggest boost in support since the General Election.
The data - published by pollster Find Out Now - has indicated that support for Reform UK has reached a record high of 22 per cent, according to a new poll tracking Westminster voting intention.
Meanwhile, Starmer's Labour has suffered a significant loss of nine per cent, according to the same figures, and is the only main UK political party that lost support at all.
As it stands, Reform UK is a mere three points away from overtaking the levels of support for the governing party - while the Conservatives have taken the top spot with 27 per cent.
Transport Secretary Louise Haigh has quit her role just hours after it emerged she had previously been convicted of fraud.
In a letter to Sir Keir Starmer, the Sheffield Heeley MP said that the issue would "inevitably be a distraction from delivering on the work of this Government and the policies to which we are committed".
Haigh came under pressure last night after it was revealed she pleaded guilty to fraud after incorrectly telling police that a work mobile phone was stolen in a mugging incident in 2013.
READ THE FULL STORY HERE
Find Out More...
MPs voted 330 to 275 in favour of the bill which was originally introduced as a Private Members' Bill by Labour MP Kim Leadbeater.
Keir Starmer and Rishi Sunak voted to pass the legislation, while Reform UK leader Nigel Farage and Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch voted against the Bill.
The legislation will continue to be scrutinised by lawmakers in the House of Lords.
FOLLOW BELOW FOR LIVE UPDATES THROUGHOUT THE DAY…
Plaid Cymru urges smaller parties to scrutinise assisted dying proposal
MPs have called on the Government to allow smaller parties to get representation on the committee which will scrutinise the assisted dying rule.
Liz Saville Roberts, Plaid Cymru Westminster leader, said their implications for Wales “"ry out for proper consideration", while the DUP’s Jim Shannon called on the committee to fully "represent the views of this House."
MPs backed the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill 330 votes to 275, majority 55, at its second reading.
However, several MPs said their sign off on the draft law will depend on the safeguards they are presented with in the Bill’s final form. Kim Leadbeater, the Labour MP who proposed the Bill, promised the scrutiny process will represent a "range of views."
Reform MPs split over Assisted Dying Bill
Reform UK split over the Assisted Dying Bill, with Lee Anderson (Ashfield), Richard Tice (Boston and Skegness) and Rupert Lowe (Great Yarmouth) voting for the bill.
Party leader Nigel Farage (Clacton) and James McMurdock (South Basildon and East Thurrock) voted against it.
Meanwhile, deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner, former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and former Shadow Home Secretary Diane Abbott all voted against the bill, alongside Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey.
Leadbeater hugged by supporters after Assisted Dying Bill passes
Crowds of supporters surrounded and hugged MP Kim Leadbeater outside Parliament after her assisted dying private members’ Bill passed.
Photographers and videographers chased after the Labour MP as she walked over to Parliament Square to celebrate with the supporters.
People shouted "thank you Kim" as she was mobbed by members of the public, activists, and the press.
Speaking to the press, the MP for Spen Valley said: "It’s been tough, you know, these families have campaigned on this issue for years. I know what it means to people, if we hadn’t achieved what we achieved today I’d have let them down.
“I’m also really proud and really pleased that we had a very respectful debate in Parliament. It was robust but it was compassionate. Lots of people with different views, and I think Parliament showed itself in its best light today, and I’m very proud of that.”
MPs run out of time to debate Palestinian statehood Bill
MPs ran out of time to debate whether the UK should recognise the state of Palestine.
Independent MP for Leicester South Shockat Adam had seconds left at the end of Parliament’s Friday sitting to present his Palestine Statehood (Recognition) (No 2) Bill, and lost his opportunity to make the case for the law change.
The pro-Gaza MP’s Bill was rescheduled for debate on January 24, but is unlikely to be considered as it now falls to the bottom of the list of private members’ Bills, the law reforms individual MPs champion outside the Government’s agenda.
The Bill would have recognised a Palestinian state based on borders agreed before 1967, and would have also conferred full diplomatic status to Palestine’s mission to the UK.
How each of the party leaders voted in the Assisted Dying Bill
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, Plaid Cymru's leader in the commons Liz Saville Roberts and Green Party co-leaders Carla Denyer and Adrian Ramsay voted in favour of the Assisted Dying Bill.
Leader of the Opposition Kemi Badenoch, Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey, DUP Commons leader Gavin Robinson and Reform UK leader Nigel Farage all voted against the bill.
The SNP's leader in the commons Stephen Flynn did not vote.
Labour MP breaks down in tears in Commons as she shares 'personal' reason to throw out Assisted Dying Bill
A Labour MP has broken down in tears in the House of Commons as she shared her "personal" reason to throw out the assisted dying Bill.
Announcing that she would oppose the Bill, Dame Meg Hillier insisted that MPs had not had the "proper discussion" about palliative care and that, while the debate on the issue must continue, "this Bill must stop today".
The Labour chair of the Treasury select committee spoke out about her own life experience.
She said: "Many of the members of this House will remember when my daughter was very ill a few years ago and I had not intended to speak about this today but she was admitted to hospital with acute pancreatitis as a teenager so this Bill would not have covered her at that point.
“But I did not know for five days, in fact many months, whether she would live or die... but I saw what good medicine can do that palliated that pain, that got her to a place where, although for two and a half months, she was unable to eat, she was saved and the key thing was she was not in pain. She was in pain but it was managed.”
After the speech, Cabinet minister Alison McGovern appeared to be wiping away tears, while MPs gathered around Hillier to provide support.
Jenrick warns of 'activist judges' in Strasbourg and "bad law"
Shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick has said that the safety measures that have been laid out in the assisted dying Bill are "grossly inadequate".
Speaking in the Commons, Jenrick said: "Bad law on trivial things is bad enough... bad law on matters of life and death is unforgivable."
Additionally, he warned that "activist judges in Strasbourg" would be able to change assisted dying rules if the proposed legislation became law.
The Tory MP for Newark said: "I worry, in fact I am as certain as night follows day, this law if passed will change. Not as a result of the individuals in this chamber or in the Lords, but as a result of judges in other places.
"We’ve seen that time and again. It may be on either side of the debate but it will happen. This Act, if passed, will be subject to activist judges in Strasbourg.
"They will change it fundamentally and we have to be prepared for that. I don’t want to see that happen."
No10 refuses to say how Starmer will vote on landmark legislation
As the debate on the assisted dying Bill reaches its conclusion, Downing Street has refused to comment on how Keir Starmer will vote on the divisive matter.
The PM's deputy spokesman said: “He’s obviously paying extremely close attention to the debate. Ministers must be able to vote according to their conscience."
"People across the country will be paying extremely close attention to today’s vote, but this is a matter of conscience.
“It is for Parliament to decide changes to the law, and the Prime Minister is on record as saying he’s not going to say or do anything that will put pressure on other people in relation to their vote.
“Every MP will have to make his or her mind up and decide what they want to do when that vote comes.”
Elon Musk breaks silence on Farage's milestone moment with stunning election prediction
Elon Musk has broken his silence since Nigel Farage's monumental milestone moment, predicting that Reform UK is set for success in future elections.
At a press conference yesterday morning, the leader of Reform UK announced that former Tory minister Andrea Jenkyns would be standing to be the next Mayor of Greater Lincolnshire for his party.
It came as a shocking blow to Kemi Badenoch, who only ascended to her role as leader of the Conservatives at the start of this month.
Following the announcement, a user on X claimed Reform would win the next election - which was met with a resounding "yes" from the tech mogul.
Speaking in Westminster, Farage - who has been a long-time friend of President-elect Donald Trump - claimed that the Republican and the world's richest man will throw their weight behind him at the next round of UK local elections.
Farage told reporters: “Are Trump and Elon going to support me in the run up to 2029? Well, that’s what friends are for, isn’t it?”
No10 announces new transport secretary after Haigh resigns
Number 10 has announced the new transport secretary after Louise Haigh stepped down from the position earlier this morning.
Heidi Alexander - who is the Labour MP for Swindon South - will take over the role, Downing Street has confirmed.
Previously, the incoming minister served as the Deputy Mayor of London For Transport for three years, between 2018 and 2021.
Alexander was elected to Parliament in the UK's latest General Election but was first the MP for the constituents of Lewisham East for eight years until 2018.
Majority of Britons 'very much in favour' of assisted dying, Kim Leadbeater insists
Labour MP Kim Leadbeater has claimed that most Britons want to allow assisted dying.
Speaking in the House of Commons, Leadbeater, who launched the Private Members' Bill, said: "It is clear that public opinion is very much in favour of a change in the law."
She added: "It may not be that surprising that most people believe as I do that we should all have the right to make the choices and decisions we want about our own bodies.
"Let’s be clear, we are not talking about a choice between life or death, we are talking about giving dying people a choice of how to die."
The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill would permit terminally ill patients with under six months left to live to end their life.
Assisted dying Bill has 'essential flaw', according to one Tory MP
A Tory MP has raised his head above the parapet to give a warning about the "essential flaw" of the assisted dying Bill this morning.
The shadow minister said: "This Bill is too comprehensive and there is too much in it to address in the process of a Private Members’ Bill."
Kruger added that "the definition of terminal illness is, in essence, the essential flaw in this Bill".
He claimed that it was "impossible for doctors to predict with any accuracy that somebody will die within six months, it is a purely subjective judgement".
Additionally, he claimed that the Bill suggests that the initial conversation about assisted death would not have to be started by the terminally ill patient, but the doctor could "plant" the idea throughout treatment.
As Kruger was making his statement, health secretary Wes Streeting was nodding in the chamber, appearing to agree with the Conservative MP.
Dame Andrea Jenkyns: 'My sister almost died from the Covid vaccine'
Andrea Jenkyns has claimed that her sister had to be resuscitated after receiving the Covid vaccine.
Speaking to GB News Andrea Jenkyns said: “I mean, look, my sister had the vaccine. She died and had to be resuscitated and she woke up paralysed from the neck down, she had a reaction.
“It was the Covid vaccine and so they said she'd ever walk again, and she took nine months to learn to walk again and she's amazing. And so I've seen what that's done.
“So people need to know what's in their foods, what's in their vaccinations and actually the impacts on the human body. It's so important."
Future of assisted dying Bill up in the air as MPs remain split
Members of Parliament will debate and vote on the much-anticipated assisted dying Bill today - for the first time since 2015.
Lawmakers originally voted against the legislation but, now, they have become more divided over the issue.
As a result, it has made a resounding return to the parliamentary chamber in what could be considered a landmark policy for Britain.
The parliamentary timetable has portioned out approximately five hours for MPs to take part in a debate ahead of the vote before 2.30pm.
Elected representatives have remained unsure on the polarising issue, although Labour MP Kim Leadbeater - who introduced the Bill - has remained hopeful that the "major social reform" will progress onto the second stage.
Most MPs are yet to announce how they will be voting.
As a matter of conscience, MPs are not tied to vote according to party lines.
'Champagne moment!' Nigel Farage brands 'bitter' Ben Habib's Reform departure a 'relief' in scathing attack
Nigel Farage has described Ben Habib's departure from Reform UK as a "champagne moment" and "absolute icing on the cake" in a frank interview on GB News.
The Reform UK leader expressed his satisfaction at Habib's decision to sever contact with the populist party.
Farage claimed that his ex-colleague had become increasingly critical, stating that Habib had "attacked me more in public than the Labour Party have".
He explained that the tensions arose following post-election leadership changes within Reform UK.
READ THE FULL STORY HERE
Reform UK support reaches record high, according to new poll
A new poll has revealed that Reform UK has received its biggest boost in support since the General Election.
The data - published by pollster Find Out Now - has indicated that support for Reform UK has reached a record high of 22 per cent, according to a new poll tracking Westminster voting intention.
Meanwhile, Starmer's Labour has suffered a significant loss of nine per cent, according to the same figures, and is the only main UK political party that lost support at all.
As it stands, Reform UK is a mere three points away from overtaking the levels of support for the governing party - while the Conservatives have taken the top spot with 27 per cent.
Louise Haigh RESIGNS after admitting to fraud conviction as Starmer Cabinet suffers first casualty
Transport Secretary Louise Haigh has quit her role just hours after it emerged she had previously been convicted of fraud.
In a letter to Sir Keir Starmer, the Sheffield Heeley MP said that the issue would "inevitably be a distraction from delivering on the work of this Government and the policies to which we are committed".
Haigh came under pressure last night after it was revealed she pleaded guilty to fraud after incorrectly telling police that a work mobile phone was stolen in a mugging incident in 2013.
READ THE FULL STORY HERE
Find Out More...