Assisted dying is one step closer to becoming law after a historic vote in the House of Commons, paving the way for one of the biggest changes to social policy since abortion was legalised in 1967.
Following an emotional debate, the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill was passed by 314 to 291 with a majority of just 23, with a hushed Commons hearing the result in a major victory for its sponsor Kim Leadbeater.
It now goes to the House of Lords for further scrutiny where it is set to meet more opposition.
The vote came after months of impassioned debate, culminating in a tense third reading debate on Friday.
Among the MPs who backed the bill were prime minister Sir Keir Starmer and former Tory prime minister Rishi Sunak along with ex-health secretary Jeremy Hunt. In contrast current Labour health secretary Wes Streeting voted against.
Supporters of the bill hailed the historic moment which means it is likely assisted dying will become available by the next election.
In an interview with ITV News, Dame Esther Rantzen, a celebrity backer of the bill, said: “It’s really important it becomes law so dying people in the future will have confidence knowing they can ask for a quick pain free death.
“It won’t come in my lifetime, I won’t live long enough but I am so relieved it will help future generations to look forward to a good death. I am astonished I have lived to see the moment.
“Months ago before the PM was elected he said that he would do his best to make sure I witnessed debate. I didn’t think it was possible, it’s happened, I’m astonished.”
Andrew Copson, chief executive of Humanists UK, said: “The House of Commons has taken a historic step towards meeting the aspirations of the public, who overwhelmingly support having choice, dignity, and compassion at the end of their lives. We welcome this and now look forward to working with Lords on the legislation.”
Dignity in Dying said: “This is a landmark moment for choice, compassion and dignity at the end of life. Thanks to Kim Leadbeater for her leadership and commitment to choice at the end of life.”
Carmen Sumadiwiria, director of My Death, My Decision, said: “After months of scrutiny and careful debate, this Bill now includes stronger safeguards and clearer protections.”
But even after the vote opponents were questioning the moral authority of the result which less than half of eligible MPs backed.
Former Ministry of Justice adviser Rajiv Shah said: “The Terminally Ill Adults Bill has lost its absolute majority in the Commons (they got 314, and it’s 318 for absolute majority), And their lead has been cut by more than half. Not a bad result. The fight continues.”
James Sanderson, the chief executive of the palliative care and bereavement charity Sue Ryder, said his organisation was “concerned that gaps in care could be leaving some people feeling it’s their only option.
“Our research found that 77 per cent of people felt that terminally ill people could be forced to consider an assisted death because the end-of-life care they need isn’t available. That must change – no matter how the Bill progresses in its next stages through the House of Lords.”
Dr Gordon Macdonald, chief executive of Care Not Killing said: “This is a deeply flawed and dangerous Bill that since November has been made considerably worse with important safeguards watered down or scrapped.”
Meanwhile, health thinktank the Nuffield Trust’s deputy director of research, Sarah Scobie, warned: “Now that assisted dying is likely to become a reality in England and Wales, the debate on how that happens must begin: what organisations and staff will deliver it, what systems will be needed to ensure equal access, and how it can sit alongside existing care at the end of life which, as MPs have recognised, is all too uneven.”
The debate saw tears from MPs and passionate arguments from both sides as parties split on the issue.
Opening the debate, Ms Leadbeater told the Commons the assisted dying Bill “is not a choice between living and dying – it is a choice for terminally ill people about how they die”.
The Labour MP added: “It means we will have many more years of heartbreaking stories from terminally ill people and their families, of pain and trauma, suicide attempts, PTSD, lonely trips to Switzerland, police investigations and everything else we have all heard over recent months.”
Making the opening speech for the opponents of the Bill, former minister Sir James Cleverly urged MPs not to “sub-contract” scrutiny of the Bill to peers.
Referring to the future passage of this Bill, if it clears the Commons, Sir James told MPs: “We were told at second reading that a lot of the concerns, a lot of the worries, a lot of the detailed questions would be resolved through the committee process. We were promised the gold-standard, a judicially underpinned set of protections and safeguards.
“Those protections did not make it through committee.
“And I’ve also heard where people are saying, ‘well, there are problems, there are still issues, there are still concerns I have’, well, ‘the Lords will have their work to do’.
“But I don’t think it is right and none of us should think that it is right to sub-contract our job to the other place (the House of Lords).”
Labour Mother of the House Diane Abbott raised the problem of private firms will run assisted dying services for profit.
She said: “I ask members in this debate to speak up for the voiceless one more time, because there is no doubt that if this Bill is passed in its current form, people will lose their lives who do not need to, and they will be amongst the most vulnerable and marginalised in our society.”
However, speaking in favour of the Bill Dr Peter Prinsley noted that “as a young doctor I would have opposed this Bill, but as an old doctor I support it.”
