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      Why assisted dying could still be thwarted

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      The assisted dying bill has been passed in the House of Commons and its sponsor Kim Leadbeater has earned her place in history – but there are still a number of hurdles it needs to clear before becoming law.The legislation now goes to the House of Lords, where a large number of opponents are lying in wait.They will be emboldened by the fact that the Bill was passed in the Commons by a tiny majority of 23, half the original majority of 55. More importantly, the number of 314 is just below the 318 needed for an absolute majority in the Commons. All this paves the way for a constitutional crisis.A group of Tory peers will predictably try to cause trouble in the upper house, but the real problem could come from the cross benches.Prominent figures like Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson, the former Paralympian, and Baroness Ilora Finlay, a professor of palliative medicine, will be bringing a large number of concerns about coercion, disability rights and other issues.Kim Leadbeater proposed the bill More

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      Council tax bills could rise in richer areas to fund struggling authorities

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      Council tax bills across the UK could soon see a major shake-up as a new Labour plan looks to make funding ‘fairer.’ Led by deputy prime minister Angela Rayner, the plans will ensure more government funding goes to areas with the highest need.The new approach looks to address issues in local authorities that are enforcing large council tax hikes every year while residents repeatedly see little return for this money. By making more central funds available to areas where demand is greatest, these areas will be more able to ask for lower council tax increases.However, this will likely mean that less funding will be available to areas where local services are not stretched, and residents have not been asked to pay such steep bill rises in recent years. As such, these councils could be forced to recoup the funding from maximising council tax revenue.A Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) official told The Times that the current system has resulted in “perverse outcomes, where some authorities are struggling to provide basic services whilst others are better off”.Birmingham City Council raised its council tax by 7.5 per cent this year amid funding struggles More

    • 150 Shares169 Views

      in UK Politics

      Council tax bills could rise in richer areas to fund struggling authorities

      by

      Council tax bills across the UK could soon see a major shake-up as a new Labour plan looks to make funding ‘fairer.’ Led by deputy prime minister Angela Rayner, the plans will ensure more government funding goes to areas with the highest need.The new approach looks to address issues in local authorities that are enforcing large council tax hikes every year while residents repeatedly see little return for this money. By making more central funds available to areas where demand is greatest, these areas will be more able to ask for lower council tax increases.However, this will likely mean that less funding will be available to areas where local services are not stretched, and residents have not been asked to pay such steep bill rises in recent years. As such, these councils could be forced to recoup the funding from maximising council tax revenue.A Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) official told The Times that the current system has resulted in “perverse outcomes, where some authorities are struggling to provide basic services whilst others are better off”.Birmingham City Council raised its council tax by 7.5 per cent this year amid funding struggles More

    • 125 Shares139 Views

      in UK Politics

      Assisted dying bill: Why this momentous vote remains so uncertain

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      The third reading and final Commons vote on Kim Leadbeater’s Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill on Friday marks a truly historic moment for parliament.The stakes are so high that entrepreneur Declan Ganley has offered a private ambulance to MP Sorcha Eastwood, who is ill with Covid, to get her to the Commons to vote against the Bill.No wonder. It has been almost six decades since MPs have considered a Bill that would cause such a profound and fundamental change in the state’s relationship with individuals and society’s attitude to life and death.An historic voteIn December Ms Leadbeater won a 55 majority on the second reading vote of her Bill, dealing with the principle rather than details, and is expected to carry a reduced majority today, although that is less certain than it was before.Terminally ill lay preacher Pamela Fisher, Labour MP Kim Leadbeater and campaigner and cancer patient Sophie Blake (Jonathan Brady/PA) More

    • 125 Shares139 Views

      in UK Politics

      Assisted dying bill: Why this momentous vote remains so uncertain

      by

      The third reading and final Commons vote on Kim Leadbeater’s Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill on Friday marks a truly historic moment for parliament.The stakes are so high that entrepreneur Declan Ganley has offered a private ambulance to MP Sorcha Eastwood, who is ill with Covid, to get her to the Commons to vote against the Bill.No wonder. It has been almost six decades since MPs have considered a Bill that would cause such a profound and fundamental change in the state’s relationship with individuals and society’s attitude to life and death.An historic voteIn December Ms Leadbeater won a 55 majority on the second reading vote of her Bill, dealing with the principle rather than details, and is expected to carry a reduced majority today, although that is less certain than it was before.Terminally ill lay preacher Pamela Fisher, Labour MP Kim Leadbeater and campaigner and cancer patient Sophie Blake (Jonathan Brady/PA) More

    • 188 Shares149 Views

      in UK Politics

      Assisted dying: Why this momentous vote – with such far-reaching consequences – is still uncertain

      by

      The third reading and final Commons vote on Kim Leadbeater’s Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill on Friday marks a truly historic moment for parliament.The stakes are so high that entrepreneur Declan Ganley has offered a private ambulance to MP Sorcha Eastwood, who is ill with Covid, to get her to the Commons to vote against the Bill.No wonder. It has been almost six decades since MPs have considered a Bill that would cause such a profound and fundamental change in the state’s relationship with individuals and society’s attitude to life and death.An historic voteIn December Ms Leadbeater won a 55 majority on the second reading vote of her Bill, dealing with the principle rather than details, and is expected to carry a reduced majority today, although that is less certain than it was before.Terminally ill lay preacher Pamela Fisher, Labour MP Kim Leadbeater and campaigner and cancer patient Sophie Blake (Jonathan Brady/PA) More

    • 88 Shares159 Views

      in UK Politics

      Labour whip quits over Starmer’s benefits cuts

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      Keir Starmer has suffered a blow as one of his frontbench team resigned over his plans to reduce benefits, saying she could not back cuts that will hit disabled people.Vicky Foxcroft dramatically quit as a government whip and called on the prime minister to “support more disabled people into work” instead.In a letter to the prime minister, she said she could not vote for reforms that “include cuts to disabled people’s finances”.Ms Foxcroft said she could not vote for reforms that include cuts to disabled people’s finances More