Political reporter
In a historic vote, MPs have approved a bill which would pave the way for huge social change by giving terminally ill adults in England and Wales the right to end their own lives.
The Terminally Ill Adults Bill, which was backed by 314 votes to 291, will now go to the House of Lords for further scrutiny.
The bill was approved with a majority of 23 MPs, representing a drop from the first time it was debated in November, when it passed by a margin of 55.
The vote came after an emotionally-charged debate which saw MPs recount personal stories of seeing friends and relatives die.
MPs were allowed a free vote on the bill, meaning they did not have to follow a party policy.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer backed the measure, while Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch and Health Secretary Wes Streeting voted against.
Labour MP Kim Leadbeater has shepherded the bill through the Commons and speaking to the BBC after the vote she said she was “over the moon”.
“I know what this means for terminally ill people and their loved ones.”
She added it had been a “particularly emotional week” because it marked nine years since the murder of her sister Jo Cox, who had been a Labour MP at the time.
“Jo used to say if good people don’t step forward and come into politics then what do we end up with?
“And even though some of us feel quite out of place in this place at times we are here to make a difference and we’re here to make positive change that society has asked us to do.”
Critics have argued the bill risks people being coerced into seeking an assisted death but Leadbeater said she was “100% confident” sufficient safeguards were in place.
Conservative MP Danny Kruger, who has been a prominent opponent of the bill, said the majority had been cut in half adding: “It is clear support for this bill is ebbing away fast.”
He said he hoped the House of Lords would either reject the proposed legislation or “substantially strengthen it”.
He argued it would not be unconstitutional for peers to block a bill approved by the democratically-elected House of Commons, pointing out that the proposal had not appeared in Labour’s election manifesto.
However, supporters of the bill have said that they are confident that, although the Lords are likely to amend the bill, it will not be rejected outright.
Any changes made in the House of Lords would have to be approved by MPs, before the bill could become law.
Dame Esther Rantzen, a broadcaster and prominent supporter of the bill, said: “This will make a huge positive difference, protecting millions of terminally ill patients and their families from the agony and loss of dignity created by a bad death.
“Thank you, Parliament.”
On the other side, Baroness and former Paralympian Tanni Grey-Thompson said she had heard from “disabled people [who] are absolutely terrified” about the bill.
Grey-Thompson, who will get a vote on the bill in the Lords, said she would put forward amendments to make it “as tight as possible” to ensure people could not be coerced.
Jan Noble, head of the hospice charity St Christopher’s, said it was now “vital” the government ensured “high-quality end of life care was available for everyone”.
“For that we need a better funding model for hospices,” she said.
Carmen Sumadiwiria, from the organisation My Death, My Decision, said: “This is a day for the history books, where facts have prevailed over fear.
Before the vote, the House of Commons spent more than three hours debating the general principles of the bill.
Conservative MP James Cleverly said he was struck by the number of medical professional bodies who were neutral on the principle of assisted dying but were opposed to the specific measures in the bill.
“When the people upon whom we rely to deliver this say we are not ready… we should listen,” he said.
Speaking in favour, Labour MP Peter Prinsley said: “There is an absolute sanctity of human life, but we are not dealing with life or death – we are dealing with death or death.
“For there is also a sanctity of human dignity and fundamental to that is surely choice – who are we to deny that to the dying?”
At the start of the day, MPs voted on a series of amendments that had been debated last week.
These included a measure to close the so-called “anorexia loophole” which would stop people qualifying for assisted dying on the basis of life-threatening malnutrition.
MPs backed that amendment as well as one requiring the government to publish a review of palliative care services within a year of the bill passing.
An attempt to block access to assisted dying for people suffering mental health problems or because they feel “burdensome” was defeated by a majority of 53.
The bill currently states that it must be implemented within four years of being approved, meaning it could be 2029 before assisted dying is available.
