MPs in England and Wales to debate bill after major changes

MPs are debating a bill to legalise assisted dying in England and Wales for the first time since significant changes were made to it.

The bill passed the first stage of the Commons last November – but since then the details have been pored over and dozens of amendments added by both sides.

A vote to pass or reject the bill is not likely to take place on Friday, but rather in June.

The start of the debate was marked by regular interventions by MPs, with some raising concerns about the role of doctors, and people who may feel pressured to end their lives.

Opening the debate, Kim Leadbeater, the Labour MP behind the bill, said the draft law had been “strengthened” and it was right to “consider this change with great care”.

She said many people had “lost loved ones in deeply difficult and traumatic circumstances”.

The MP for Spen Valley said: “Put simply, if we do not vote to change the law, we are essentially saying that the status quo is acceptable.”

Conservative MP Rebecca Paul said she opposed the bill and argued there should be a focus on improving end-of-life care, rather than assisted dying.

“It will harm far more people than it will help,” Paul said.

“And those people who will be harmed are among the most vulnerable in our communities and I’m not willing to accept this collateral damage.”

In one emotional speech, Liberal Democrat MP Christine Jardine said she supported the bill because she had “watched a member of my family die of motor neurone disease”.

Close to tears, Jardine said: “we do not want to go down the slippery slope” but suggested extending the bill to cover degenerative diseases.

“I would not want anyone to go through what I witnessed without the choice to end it.”

Leadbeater’s Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill – which would allow some terminally ill adults in England and Wales to choose to end their own lives – cleared its first parliamentary hurdle by 330 to 275 votes back in November.

Since then, the bill has gone through six months of intense scrutiny by a parliamentary committee and several changes, including removing the need for a High Court judge to sign off each request for an assisted death. Instead, a panel of experts – including a legal professional, psychiatrist and social worker – would oversee the process.

The bill is at report stage, where MPs will debate and vote on various amendments.

On Friday, MPs could vote on amendments that:

• Ensure there is no obligation on anyone, such as medical staff, to take part in the assisted dying process
• Prevent doctors from discussing the option of an assisted death with under 18s, unless the patient has raised it first
• Requiring the government to prepare and publish an assessment of the availability, quality and distribution of palliative and end of life care

MPs have been given a free vote, meaning they can decide based on their conscience rather than having to follow a party line.

The issue has split Parliament, with strong opinions on both sides.

Those opposed to assisted dying say the mood has altered among MPs, but so far only a handful have said they’ve changed their minds since November and it would take dozens to block the bill.

The Commons is unlikely to vote to give the bill final approval until 13 June at the earliest.

On 2 May, the government published its long-awaited impact report on the bill – projecting NHS savings ranging from £919,000 to £10.3 million.

But on Wednesday, officials published a “correction notice” at the bottom of the 150-page document.

The change revises the upper estimate for the number of assisted deaths in the first year after the bill is published from up to 787 to 647.

Labour MP Melanie Ward, who previously voted against the bill, told the BBC: “This shows just how chaotic this whole process has been.”

Independent peer Paralympian Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson, who has campaigned against the bill and will get a vote if the bill goes to the Lords, said it had been “very disappointing to see this process”.

The amended impact assessment “has come out the night before very important debates,” she said.

“It might make the numbers look marginally better but it’s a significant error – what else have they got wrong?”

Meanwhile, Reform UK’s Sarah Pochin, the newest MP after winning the Runcorn by-election earlier this month, confirmed she would support the bill, telling ITV she was “confident” there were enough checks and balances to ensure terminally ill people were protected.

Broadcaster Dame Esther Rantzen, who has been campaigning for assisted dying after revealing her terminal lung cancer diagnosis last year, accused opponents of having “undeclared personal religious beliefs which mean no precautions would satisfy” their concerns.

Labour MP Jess Asato, who voted against the bill, described Dame Esther’s comments as “particularly distasteful” and “disrespectful to those with faith and without”.

Rebecca Wilcox, a broadcaster and Dame Esther’s daughter, told the BBC’s Breakfast programme she was concerned about the “scaremongering”, “blatant lies” and “myths” circulating about the bill.

She said that while she appreciated there were concerns over coercion and how the proposed legislation could affect vulnerable or disabled people, the bill was “full of safeguards”.

“This is a game-changing moment to show what a caring culture we can be,” she said

The new bill in England and Wales would allow any doctor to be involved in assisted dying. GPs are often a large part of the practice in countries where it is legal.

A BBC investigation suggested family doctors in England were deeply divided on the issue.

Of the 1,000 GPs who responded to a survey conducted by the BBC, 500 said they were against an assisted dying law, with 400 saying they were in favour.

The Royal College of Physicians (RCP) said it believed there were “concerning deficiencies” with the bill that would need addressing, including tougher safeguards such as using doctors known to the patient for prognosis, face-to-face checks to prevent coercion and no cuts to other care.

Earlier this week, the Royal College of Psychiatrists said it had “serious concerns” and could not support the bill in its current form.

Both colleges said they remained neutral on the principle of assisted dying.