Why did MPs reject the assisted dying bill? – BBC News
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Why did MPs reject the assisted dying bill?
Image source: EPA/Shutterstock
By Harry Farley, Political Correspondent
Published 13 minutes ago
There were gasps and – to the intense irritation of supporters – cheers from opponents when the vote was read out in the Commons. This was an extraordinary result. After twice voting in favour of the bill, MPs have rejected proposals to legalise assisted dying in England and Wales, bringing the latest effort to change the law to an end.
The debate itself was tetchier, more irritable than when Kim Leadbeater introduced a similar bill in 2024. Then it was the first time MPs had voted on assisted dying in nine years. Since then, the Commons has debated this issue three times and spent hours discussing it. The sombre, respectful tone from 2024 has given way to more embittered exchanges.
Given the strength of feeling on both sides over such an emotive issue, perhaps that is unsurprising. But on a deeply divided topic, both sides agree on why the result was different:
"We always said it would come to turnout and it did," one supporter of the bill text me. An opponent messaged to say the same.
The numbers tell a story. Last time MPs voted on assisted dying in June, 315 were in favour and 291 against. Today, the number opposed was similar: 286. But support for this bill has waned. Just 270 voted for it, a fall of 45.
So why did fewer MPs back it compared to a year ago? There are several reasons:
- Some MPs have changed their minds. Janet Daby, the Labour MP for Lewisham East, for example, told the Commons that after previously backing the bill "my conscience was not at peace, and I cannot again, in good conscience, vote for the bill."
- For others, Andy Burnham’s influence may have been a factor. When MPs last voted on assisted dying, Sir Keir Starmer was Prime Minister and supportive of this bill. Burnham, however, is not. For Labour MPs eager to follow Downing Street’s priorities, abstaining might have seemed more appealing.
- There will be other reasons why some supportive MPs did not attend today. A wedding, I’m told, kept some away from Westminster. Others were on a trip to Ukraine.
Already, those in favour of a change in the law promise to try again. Kim Leadbeater, the Labour MP who introduced the original legislation last year, has indicated another attempt could come as soon as next year. Supporters see this parliament, with such a large proportion of Labour MPs generally supportive of assisted dying, as a "unique moment" to pass this change.
But for now, momentum has faded from a change in the law. That is a relief to those who fear such a change would risk harming vulnerable people. But it’s a bitter disappointment for those who see it as a necessary and compassionate alternative to the status quo. That bitterness from supporters is partly aimed at the House of Lords. It was opponents’ efforts there that ultimately led to this defeat, and it could hasten calls for reform of Parliament’s second chamber.
