Politics latest: Landmark assisted dying debate under way, with result of vote uncertain (2024)

ByTamara Cohen, political correspondent

An interesting moment in the Commons as health secretary Wes Streeting who opposes the bill, turns to give a sympathetic smile to Rachel Maskell, as she argues palliative care fails too many people.

"We must give my right hon. friend the health secretary, after Lord Darzi's devastating report, the opportunity to reset health and care", she says.

Streeting is understood to have angered cabinet colleagues by arguing that he feels the risk of coercion is too great, and palliative care is not good enough to give people a real choice.

Maskell also says this debate has "consumed us" and this will only escalate if the bill passes this stage.

Mr Streeting would have to be the health secretary who examines the impact and then implements it if it passes the next stages.

Lord Darzi is a former health minister whose rapid review of the NHS commissioned by the Labour government, concluded it is in a "critical condition".

ByTamara Cohen, political correspondent

The first MP to admit having changed their mind on this subject is Conservative Andrew Mitchell, who used to be against assisted dying when it was last debated in 2015, but is now in favour.

He says the fact that many more jurisdictions are allowing it is an argument in favour.

He said he'd been left in "floods of tears" by stories of families who had seen loved ones suffering at the end of their lives.

"If this bill does not go through a second reading, that will be the end of the matter for, many years", he said.

"And we would do so, we would do so in the knowledge, Madam Deputy Speaker, that Scotland, the Isle of Man, Jersey, many other countries are likely to bring in legislation like this.

"There are 300 million people in 30 jurisdictions who have secured this ability to choose."

Supporters of assisted dying have claimed in recent days and weeks that they have a number of MPs who have changed their minds on the issue. That will be tested in a few hours' time.

Diane Abbott is next to express her view in the assisted dying debate, which is that it should not be legalised.

The Labour MP tells the House: "In 1969, parliament voted to abolish the death penalty for murder.

"Public opinion was actually against it, but MPs believed [as] a point of principle that the state should not be involved in taking a life.

"It was a good principle in 1969, and it remains a good principle today."

She goes on to say that she does not believe that the safeguards in the bill are "not sufficient", and argues that courts and judges can get things wrong.

"Far from being a genuine safeguard, the involvement of a judge could just be a rubber stamp."

Ms Abbott also argues that banning coercion will not mean that it does not happen, saying: "Coercion is something that you have no material evidence of and that you cannot see."

On whether the bill will be enforced as written, she points to Canada extending assisted dying beyond just those who are terminally ill.

Kemi Badenoch has announced that she will be voting against the bill to legalise assisted dying.

In an article for The Times newspaper, the Tory leader argued that, when in government, she saw that "our healthcare system is not able to cope with complex issues requiring serious safeguarding".

She pointed to the issuing of puberty blockers, that she described as "irreversible and damaging treatments" to young people.

"I saw a culture in which patients and parents felt unable to challenge medical professionals, and medical professionals were fearful of questioning patients," she wrote.

She also said there has been on formal public consultation on the legislation, nor a "robust discussion" with the people in government who would be tasked with carrying out the policy.

She went on: "I do not believe there are effective protections in this bill for patients who feel they are a burden to their families or are pressured by circumstances.

"It is not clear how doctors would identify dishonesty or coercion, or how the courts will have scope to inquire into it."

Mrs Badenoch also argued that the legislation is "too important to be rushed", and said she decided to vote against it when the PM dismissed a request to allow two days of debate on it.

"Without robust safeguards proposed, improved end-of-life care and the proper vehicle for serious debate and scrutiny, we are not ready for this legislation," she wrote.

"We have been here before: when reasonable concerns about how legislation will work, or is working, have been dismissed.I firmly believe that assisted dying is something we need to consider properly.

"It is something that requires a full review and a vote on the principle ahead of detailed work with all relevant groups."

She concluded with her political slogan: "It's time for politicians to tell the truth, and that means accepting that the first duty of MPs is to get the law right."

ByTamara Cohen, political correspondent

Leading opponent of the legislation Danny Kruger is now speaking - with a generous tribute to Kim Leadbeater's "powerful speech".

The pair know each other from their time in the charity sector, and it's clear there is mutual respect on this important issue.

But Kruger urges MPs "not to hide behind the fiction, that this can be amended substantially in committee and at its next stages.

"The remaining stages of a private member's bill are for minor tweaks, not the kind of wholesale restructuring that we will need if we're ever to make this bill safe", he says.

Those who back it, he says, "must be prepared to see it become law largely unamended" and urges those with doubts to vote no.

Kruger says the term terminally ill is "completely arbitrary" and a "subjective judgement by a doctor approving assisted death".

He concedes, to MPs who argue that medical treatment is contested every day in the NHS, that "difficult judgements are made by doctors and judges all the time", but calls this a "a very dangerous one to give them the power to do it".

ByTamara Cohen, political correspondent

Labour MP Barry Gardiner sets out an issue on many MPs minds.

He says while Ms Leadbeater has focused on individual choice and individual suffering, but that when someone has a terminal illness, this bill would open up the possibility of death - and that means it is something they would feel forced to consider, including on financial grounds.

"My concern is she is focused on the individual but we are here to legislate for society as a whole", he said.

"There will be some people who are in that situation with considerations like is it financially better from my family."

ByTamara Cohen, political correspondent

"Deaths so horrific that people are left in pain for days"

Kim Leadbeater's speech is peppered with personal stories of people who have died in terrible pain, despite the efforts of palliative care doctors.

Warwick, whose wife of 40 years, Anne couldn't breathe properly and spent days gasping and choking, when she had terminal cancer. She begged him to suffocate her - but he couldn't.

Louise, who found morphine "simply could not control her pain" when she had terminal cancer, and tried to take her own life, not realising that her toddler daughter had got into bed with her.

A man who could not accompany his mother to Dignitas because he was a police officer, so had "no proper goodbye."

She spoke of "deaths so horrific that people are left in pain for days" and the implications for the families left behind of seeing this process.

The opposing argument - which we will hear in detail after this - is likely to argue that the prospect of coercion for those may feel pressured into an assisted death does not justify going ahead.

By Faye Brown, political reporter

It's been five months since Labour was elected and a cabinet minister has resigned already.

Transport Secretary Louise Haigh is retreating to the backbenches after Sky News revealed she pleaded guilty to an offence related to incorrectly telling police that a work mobile phone was stolen in 2013.

Given the government’s pledge to nationalise the railways, it’s a big role that needs filling fast. So who could replace her?

Heidi Alexander

Swindon South MP Heidi Alexander is an option, given her experience as Sadiq Khan’s deputy transport Mayor between 2018-2021. She has a lengthy career in politics preceding that, having been the MP for Lewisham East from 2010-2018, when she was the shadow health secretary during the junior doctors' contract strikes. After returning to parliament at the July general election, Sir Keir wasted no time in giving her a ministerial position in the justice department, so he clearly sees some potential there.

Lilian Greenwood

Another longstanding MP who could be in with a shot is Lilian Greenwood, who has represented Nottingham South since 2010. She was the shadow transport secretary during the early Corbyn days but quit after the Brexit referendum in protest over his leadership. Since then she has sat on the transport committee and now holds the junior role of Parliamentary Under Secretary in the transport department. Could a promotion be in store?

Jim McMahon

Jim McMahon, and ally of the PM, was the shadow transport secretary during Sir Keir’s first year as Labour leader, between 2020 and 2021. He is currently a minister in the housing department and has been an MP continually since 2015, so he has plenty of experience. And given he represents Oldham West, Chadderton and Royton, in Greater Manchester, he might know a thing or two about problems with train services....

The first speaker in the debate on the assisted dying bill is the Labour MP who has tabled it - Kim Leadbeater.

She opens by telling MPs that the bill would give terminally ill people, "under very stringent criteria, choice, autonomy, and dignity at the end of their lives".

"Let me say to colleagues across the House, particularly new colleagues - I know that this is not easy. It certainly hasn't been easy for me.

"But if any of us wanted an easy life, I'm afraid we're in the wrong place."

Ms Leadbeater argues that this debate is "long overdue", and says she has done her best to ensure the tone of the debate was "robust", as well as "respectful and compassionate", which she urges MPs to continue.

Moving to the substance of the debate, she says that where "the law is failing people", MPs "have a duty to fix it".

She recounts the story of Warwick, whose wife Anne died from suffocation, caused by cancer, saying: "She spent four days gasping and choking, remaining awake throughout, despite being given the maximum dose of sedatives."

"She had begged Warwick to end her life, but as he stood over her with a pillow, he could not do what she asked because he didn't want that to be her final memory of him.

"Anne had excellent palliative care, but it simply could not ease her suffering."

Ms Leadbeater recounts multiple stories of "the heartbreaking reality and human suffering which too many people are experiencing as a result of the status quo".

She argues that the public "is very much in favour of a change in the law" and would like terminally ill, mentally competent adults to take their own lives, saying "we should all have the right to make the choices and decisions we want about our own bodies".

"We are not talking about a choice between life or death - we are talking about giving people a choice about how to die," she says.

Ms Leadbeater goes on to say that the fear that people will be coerced into taking their own lives is only usually detected after death, that medical professionals can spot it, and this bill will make it illegal.

She calls on the government to improve palliative care in Britain - but also makes the point that it is not either palliative care or an assisted death.

Deputy PM Oliver Dowden expresses his fear that judges will interpret the legislation more widely than MPs intend, and he replies that the courts have repeatedly mandated that parliament legislate on the matter and refused to issue rulings on it.

Ms Leadbeater continues by arguing that the bill has "the most robust and strongest set of safeguards in the world", which do not currently exist.

She insists that the safeguards are adequate currently, and can be strengthened by MPs as the bill's passage through the House continues.

To that end, she urges MPs to vote in favour of the bill today.

By Tamara Cohen, political correspondent

The debate on assisted dying has started - and five hours later MPs will vote on the momentous decision of whether it should go ahead in the UK.

There will be passionate interventions for and against; safeguards - or the lack of them - will be picked over; and families and campaigners whose lives will be affected by the decision will be watching on as MPs - many of them only elected this year -will make their choice.

This is what we are expecting:

The Speaker will set out guidance for conducting the debate and whether he will take what is called a reasoned amendment - an attempt by a group of MPs to stop the bill going ahead, arguing it has not had sufficient scrutiny. This is highly unlikely.

Labour MP Kim Leadbeater will open the debate and speak for around 20 minutes about why MPs should take her bill forward, and why she believes it would be restricted to the terminally ill. She will praise the conduct of the debate over the past few weeks.

A leading opponent of the legislation, expected to be Conservative MP Danny Kruger, will speak against the bill. He has said it is akin to saying "some people would be better off dead".

Hundreds of MPs want to speak and not all will get a chance. Before 2:30pm, MPs will decide whether to give the bill a second reading - to vote for the principle of assisted dying.

This is the start of the process - the specifics will be worked on for many months, there will be another vote next year, and it will likely be two to three years before it actually happens. But a crucial line may be crossed today.