MPs will vote on legalising assisted dying in a crunch Commons vote today following a possible marathon five-hour debate.
This will be the first such debate in the Commons on the issue in almost a decade – with a vote expected at the end on whether it should pass through to be scrutinised by a committee.
MPs will be given a free vote on the issue, allowing them to decide according to their conscience rather than in line with party policy.
Laws throughout the UK currently prevent people from asking for medical help to die.
But Dame Esther Rantzen has urged MPs to attend the assisted dying debate and vote this afternoon, saying it is unlikely the issue will come before Parliament again in the next decade.
The broadcaster, who is terminally ill, has backed the Express's Give Us Our Last Rights crusade which calls for a change in the law.
8 hours ago08:22 Hanna Geissler
Queues to get into Parliament from 8am to watch debate
Among those queuing at 8am were several members of a prayer group who come to watch debates every week, and opposed the Bill.
One said: “It’s against God’s will. God says when we come into birth and when we go and we shouldn’t try to change that. It’s like committing suicide, it’s not right.
“I know some people may have terrible situations but we just don’t have that right.”
Other members raised concerns about the proposed law being widened in future.
Another man added: “On paper it seems it’s going to be safe but if you look at Canada, once they get on the slippery slope…that’s the problem.”
8 hours ago08:09 Martyn Brown
Will Speaker allow MPs to wreck Assisted Dying bill?
In just under one hour, Speaker Lindsay Hoyle will decide at his 9am morning conference whether to select the “wrecking amendment” tabled by a few MPs. Most expect he won’t, but his decision should be announced at the beginning of the debate at 9.30am.
8 hours ago08:07 Steph Spyro
Has the issue been voted on at Westminster before?
Not for almost a decade. An Assisted Dying Bill went before the Commons in 2015 and was rejected by MPs.
There was also a Bill proposed in the House of Lords during the 2021/2022 session which reached a second reading in the chamber, while Westminster Hall debates on assisted dying took place in July 2022 and April 2024.
(Image: Getty)
8 hours ago08:06 Steph Spyro
How many people are likely to use an assisted dying service?
Kim Leadbeater MP, who has introduced the Bill into the Commons, said evidence from elsewhere in the world where it is legal suggests assisted deaths account for between 0.5 and 3% of deaths.
She said it is likely take-up would be in the hundreds, rather than thousands.
The chief medical officers in England and Wales and the Health Secretary would be required to monitor and report on the operation of the law.
The Health Secretary would also be required to report on the availability, quality and distribution of appropriate health services to people with palliative care needs, including pain and symptom management, psychological support for those people and their families, and information about palliative care and how to access it.
9 hours ago08:03 Steph Spyro
Who would administer the medication if someone chose to have an assissted death?
The dying person must take the medication themselves.
No doctor or anyone else can give the medication to the terminally ill person.
It has been suggested it might be the case a terminally ill person might be able to take such medication by pushing a button.
9 hours ago08:01 Steph Spyro
Will doctors have to take part in helping people end their life?
No. Doctors would not be under any obligation to take part.
Doctors who do would have to be satisfied the person making their declaration to die has made it voluntarily and not been coerced or pressured by anyone else.
They would also be required to ensure the person is making an informed choice, including being made aware of their other treatment options such as palliative and hospice care.
Doctors would not be under a duty to raise the option of assisted dying with a patient.
The Bill states that there is nothing to stop them “exercising their professional judgment to decide if, and when, it is appropriate to discuss the matter with a person”.
What about judges? See our next post for the answer!
A doctor holds hands to encourage and comfort an people (Image: Getty)
9 hours ago07:59 Steph Spyro
What safeguards will there be in place under a possible new law?
It would be illegal for someone to pressure, coerce or use dishonesty to get someone to make a declaration that they wish to end their life or to induce someone to self-administer an approved substance.
If someone is found guilty of either of these actions, they could face a jail sentence of up to 14 years.
9 hours ago07:52 Steph Spyro
Who would be eligible for assisted death if it were to become legal?
Only terminally adults who are expected to die within six months and who have been resident in England and Wales and registered with a GP for at least 12 months.
They must have the mental capacity to make a choice about the end of their life and be deemed to have expressed a clear, settled and informed wish – free from coercion or pressure – to end their life.
The terminally ill person must make two separate declarations, witnessed and signed, about their wish to die.
The process must involve two independent doctors being satisfied the person is eligible and the medics can consult a specialist in the person’s condition and get an assessment from an expert in mental capacity if deemed necessary.
A High Court judge must hear from at least one of the doctors regarding the application and can also question the dying person as well as anyone else they consider appropriate.
There must be at least seven days between the two doctors making their assessments and a further 14 days after the judge has made a ruling, for the person to have a period of reflection on their decision.
For someone whose death is expected imminently, the 14-day period could be reduced to 48 hours.
9 hours ago07:41 Steph Spyro
What the assisted dying vote today means for the UK - your questions answered
Express Politics answers all your questions on assisted dying and what the bill will mean for the UK.
Read the full explainer here
9 hours ago07:36 Steph Spyro
Sir Keir Starmer's Cabinet is split on the issue
About 100 MPs so far have signalled their intention to support the Bill, with about 80 saying they will oppose it.
Of the 650 MPs in the Commons, most have yet to say publicly how they will vote, including Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, who supported a change in the law in 2015.
Asked on Thursday whether his view on the matter had changed since then, Sir Keir again declined to say, instead repeating that he does not want to “put pressure” on MPs who will be taking part in a free vote according to their conscience rather than along party lines.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves is among those who have said they remain undecided as they study the Bill’s contents.
The Cabinet is split on the issue, with Health Secretary Wes Streeting and Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood intending to vote no, while Energy Secretary and former Labour leader Ed Miliband is supporting the Bill alongside Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy.
Former prime minister Rishi Sunak has not said which way he will vote, while Lord Cameron, who would have a vote if the Bill progressed to the Lords, is the only living former PM to publicly back the legislation.
9 hours ago07:21 Steph Spyro
MP behind the Bill says Parliament has an opportunity to 'correct injustice' today
Parliament has a chance to “correct injustice and reduce human suffering” when it debates assisted dying, the MP behind the Bill said – but opposition campaigners have warned of “inevitable abuse, pressure, coercion and mistakes”.
Five hours have been set aside for MPs to air their views on Kim Leadbeater’s Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, and a vote must be called before 2.30pm otherwise the Bill is highly unlikely to make any further progress through Parliament.
Labour MP Kim Leadbeater (centre) with Dignity in Dying campaigners as they gather in Parliament Squ (Image: PA)
10 hours ago07:02 Steph Spyro
How will assisted dying work if it is legalised?
Four MPs' failed to derail today's proceeding when they tabled an amendment claiming there was not enough time for sufficient debate and scrutiny of Kim Leadbeater’s Private Members' Bill.
Dame Esther Rantzen said any new legislation will “never apply to me as I have stage four lung cancer, and my time is running out”.
She described herself as “fortunate” to have the choice of an assisted death at Dignitas but repeated her views that to have to go alone for fear of her family being prosecuted is unfair.
The campaigner said: “My family cannot accompany me there and support me, otherwise they will be investigated by the police for possibly assisting suicide which could mean a prison sentence of 14 years under the current law.
“Is that really the way our legal system should treat patients and their families at the most distressing time in our lives?”
Under the proposals, a High Court judge would have to rule each time a person makes a request to end their life. A patient would then have to wait 14 days before acting.
A doctor would prepare the substance being used to end the patient's life, but the person would take it themselves. The bill does not say which drug would be used.
It would be illegal to coerce someone into declaring they want to end their life, with a possible 14-year prison sentence.
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10 hours ago06:57 Steph Spyro
Good morning on what could be a landmark day in Parliament
Good morning on what is a monumental day in Parliament!
MPs will today vote on whether to legalise assisted dying.
This is an issue the Express has been campaiging on for several years.
Assisted suicide is banned in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, with a maximum prison sentence of 14 years.
But MPs' votes today could help change that.
The Express team will be bringing you the latest from Westminster throughout the day.
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