UK
Assisted dying bill: How many Labour MPs voted for, against or didn’t vote
MPs have given their backing to Kim Leadbeater’s assisted dying bill at its second reading, with 330 MPs voting in favour of the motion after a morning of emotional debate in the House of Commons.
A total of 234 Labour MPs voted in favour of the motion, with 147 against and 22 not voting.
The bill would allow terminally ill people with a life expectancy of less than six months to receive assistance in ending their life.
How every MP voted on the Assisted Dying Bill
MPs have voted for the Assisted Dying Bill with a substantial majority
MPs voted this afternoon on the second reading of The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill. The Bill seeks to legalise assisted dying by allowing adults who are terminally ill with less than six months to live take their own life at the time of their choosing.
The Bill has sparked intense discussion in Westminster. As MPs were given a free vote (they weren’t instructed how to vote by party whips), each MP has been deciding independently whether to support the legislation.
Supporters of the legislation argue that it will allow people who are terminally ill and in pain to have the freedom to end their life at the time of their choosing, and reduce their suffering. Opponents have argued that there are insufficient safeguards in place and it could lead to people being coerced into taking their own life.
The Bill passed its second reading in the Commons, with 330 MPs voting in favour and 275 MPs voting against. As a result, the legislation will now continue its journey through parliament.
The breakdown of MPs’ votes by party was as follows:Alliance: 0 for, 1 against, 0 did not vote
Conservative: 23 for, 93 against, 3 did not vote
Democratic Unionist Party: 0 for, 5 against, 0 did not vote
Green Party: 4 for, 0 against, 0 did not vote
Independent: 1 for, 14 against, 0 did not vote
Labour: 236 for, 148 against, 18 did not vote
Liberal Democrat: 61 for, 11 against, 0 did not vote
Plaid Cymru: 3 for, 1 against, 0 did not vote
Reform UK: 3 for, 2 against, 0 did not vote
Scottish National Party: 0 for, 0 against, 9 did not vote
Social Democratic and Labour Party: 1 for, 0 against, 1 did not vote
Traditional Unionist Voice: 0 for, 1 against, 0 did not vote
Ulster Unionist Party: 0 for, 1 against, 0 did not vote
45 MPs did not vote on the Bill. Many of them will have intentionally abstained – including the majority of Tory MPs missing from the list. Others may have been ‘paired’ – a mechanism used by MPs when they cannot attend a vote in the House of Commons where an MP from another party who would have voted differently to them agrees not to vote, or otherwise did not attend for health or other reasons.
In addition, the speaker of the House of Commons does not participate in votes, and MPs from Sinn Fein do not take their seats in parliament.
Below is a fill list of how every MP voted on the second reading of the Assisted Dying Bill.
MPs who voted for the Bill
Stephen Kinnock Labour Aberafan Maesteg
Connor Rand Labour Altrincham and Sale West
Mark Tami Labour Alyn and Deeside
Linsey Farnsworth Labour Amber Valley
Lee Anderson Reform UK Ashfield
Laura Kyrke-Smith Labour Aylesbury
Elaine Stewart Labour Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock
Claire Hughes Labour Bangor Aberconwy
Dan Jarvis Labour Barnsley North
Luke Murphy Labour Basingstoke
Jo White Labour Bassetlaw
Wera Hobhouse Liberal Democrat Bath
Alison McGovern Labour Birkenhead
Jess Phillips Labour Birmingham Yardley
Lorraine Beavers Labour Blackpool North and Fleetwood
Chris Webb Labour Blackpool South
Natalie Fleet Labour Bolsover
Kirith Entwistle Labour Bolton North East
Phil Brickell Labour Bolton West
Peter Dowd Labour Bootle
Richard Tice Reform UK Boston and Skegness
Tom Hayes Labour Bournemouth East
Peter Swallow Labour Bracknell
David Chadwick Liberal Democrat Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe
Ruth Cadbury Labour Brentford and Isleworth
Chris Elmore Labour Bridgend
Ashley Fox Conservative Bridgwater
Chris Ward Labour Brighton Kemptown and Peacehaven
Siân Berry Green Party Brighton Pavilion
Carla Denyer Green Party Bristol Central
Kerry McCarthy Labour Bristol East
Damien Egan Labour Bristol North East
Karin Smyth Labour Bristol South
Callum Anderson Labour Buckingham and Bletchley
Oliver Ryan Labour Burnley
Jacob Collier Labour Burton and Uttoxeter
Christian Wakeford Labour Bury South
Peter Prinsley Labour Bury St Edmunds and Stowmarket
Perran Moon Labour Camborne and Redruth
Daniel Zeichner Labour Cambridge
Jo Stevens Labour Cardiff East
Anna McMorrin Labour Cardiff North
Alex Barros-Curtis Labour Cardiff West
Bobby Dean Liberal Democrat Carshalton and Wallington
Alan Gemmell Labour Central Ayrshire
Mel Stride Conservative Central Devon
Ben Lake Plaid Cymru Ceredigion Preseli
Tristan Osborne Labour Chatham and Aylesford
Marie Goldman Liberal Democrat Chelmsford
Max Wilkinson Liberal Democrat Cheltenham
Sarah Green Liberal Democrat Chesham and Amersham
Samantha Dixon Labour Chester North and Neston
Aphra Brandreth Conservative Chester South and Eddisbury
Toby Perkins Labour Chesterfield
Jess Brown-Fuller Liberal Democrat Chichester
Sarah Gibson Liberal Democrat Chippenham
Rachel Blake Labour Cities of London and Westminster
Becky Gittins Labour Clwyd East
Gill German Labour Clwyd North
Pam Cox Labour Colchester
Paul Davies Labour Colne Valley
Sarah Russell Labour Congleton
Lee Barron Labour Corby and East Northamptonshire
Emma Foody Labour Cramlington and Killingworth
Connor Naismith Labour Crewe and Nantwich
Natasha Irons Labour Croydon East
Chris Philp Conservative Croydon South
Sarah Jones Labour Croydon West
Jim Dickson Labour Dartford
Baggy Shanker Labour Derby South
John Whitby Labour Derbyshire Dales
Olly Glover Liberal Democrat Didcot and Wantage
Lee Pitcher Labour Doncaster East and the Isle of Axholme
Ed Miliband Labour Doncaster North
Chris Coghlan Liberal Democrat Dorking and Horley
Mike Tapp Labour Dover and Deal
Sonia Kumar Labour Dudley
Graeme Downie Labour Dunfermline and Dollar
Alex Mayer Labour Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard
Liz Saville Roberts Plaid Cymru Dwyfor Meirionnydd
James Murray Labour Ealing North
Deirdre Costigan Labour Ealing Southall
Yuan Yang Labour Earley and Woodley
Joani Reid Labour East Kilbride and Strathaven
Tom Rutland Labour East Worthing and Shoreham
Josh Babarinde Liberal Democrat Eastbourne
Liz Jarvis Liberal Democrat Eastleigh
Chris Murray Labour Edinburgh East and Musselburgh
Tracy Gilbert Labour Edinburgh North and Leith
Christine Jardine Liberal Democrat Edinburgh West
Clive Efford Labour Eltham and Chislehurst
Charlotte Cane Liberal Democrat Ely and East Cambridgeshire
Helen Maguire Liberal Democrat Epsom and Ewell
Adam Thompson Labour Erewash
Steve Race Labour Exeter
Euan Stainbank Labour Falkirk
Claire Hazelgrove Labour Filton and Bradley Stoke
Sarah Sackman Labour Finchley and Golders Green
Tony Vaughan Labour Folkestone and Hythe
Matt Bishop Labour Forest of Dean
Colum Eastwood Social Democratic & Labour Party Foyle
Anna Sabine Liberal Democrat Frome and East Somerset
Andrew Snowden Conservative Fylde
Mark Ferguson Labour Gateshead Central and Whickham
Michael Payne Labour Gedling
Maureen Burke Labour Glasgow North East
Sarah Dyke Liberal Democrat Glastonbury and Somerton
Jeremy Hunt Conservative Godalming and Ash
David Davis Conservative Goole and Pocklington
Caroline Dinenage Conservative Gosport
Tonia Antoniazzi Labour Gower
Melanie Onn Labour Great Grimsby and Cleethorpes
Rupert Lowe Reform UK Great Yarmouth
Matthew Pennycook Labour Greenwich and Woolwich
Zöe Franklin Liberal Democrat Guildford
Alex Ballinger Labour Halesowen
Kate Dearden Labour Halifax
Andy Slaughter Labour Hammersmith and Chiswick
Tulip Siddiq Labour Hampstead and Highgate
Chris Vince Labour Harlow
Victoria Collins Liberal Democrat Harpenden and Berkhamsted
Tom Gordon Liberal Democrat Harrogate and Knaresborough
Jonathan Brash Labour Hartlepool
Helena Dollimore Labour Hastings and Rye
John McDonnell Independent Hayes and Harlington
Lisa Smart Liberal Democrat Hazel Grove
David Taylor Labour Hemel Hempstead
Freddie van Mierlo Liberal Democrat Henley and Thame
Josh Dean Labour Hertford and Stortford
Oliver Dowden Conservative Hertsmere
Joe Morris Labour Hexham
Jon Pearce Labour High Peak
Luke Evans Conservative Hinckley and Bosworth
Alistair Strathern Labour Hitchin
Keir Starmer Labour Holborn and St Pancras
Richard Foord Liberal Democrat Honiton and Sidmouth
Catherine West Labour Hornsey and Friern Barnet
John Milne Liberal Democrat Horsham
Peter Kyle Labour Hove and Portslade
Harpreet Uppal Labour Huddersfield
Jas Athwal Labour Ilford South
Emily Thornberry Labour Islington South and Finsbury
Kate Osborne Labour Jarrow and Gateshead East
Joe Powell Labour Kensington and Bayswater
Rosie Wrighting Labour Kettering
Karl Turner Labour Kingston upon Hull East
Diana Johnson Labour Kingston upon Hull North and Cottingham
Emma Hardy Labour Kingston upon Hull West and Haltemprice
Fabian Hamilton Labour Leeds North East
Katie White Labour Leeds North West
Hilary Benn Labour Leeds South
Mark Sewards Labour Leeds South West and Morley
Rachel Reeves Labour Leeds West and Pudsey
Liz Kendall Labour Leicester West
Jo Platt Labour Leigh and Atherton
James MacCleary Liberal Democrat Lewes
Janet Daby Labour Lewisham East
Calvin Bailey Labour Leyton and Wanstead
Dave Robertson Labour Lichfield
Hamish Falconer Labour Lincoln
Maria Eagle Labour Liverpool Garston
Kim Johnson Labour Liverpool Riverside
Paula Barker Labour Liverpool Wavertree
Gregor Poynton Labour Livingston
Jeevun Sandher Labour Loughborough
Victoria Atkins Conservative Louth and Horncastle
Rachel Hopkins Labour Luton South and South Bedfordshire
Tim Roca Labour Macclesfield
Joshua Reynolds Liberal Democrat Maidenhead
Josh Simons Labour Makerfield
Lucy Powell Labour Manchester Central
Jeff Smith Labour Manchester Withington
Steve Yemm Labour Mansfield
Brian Mathew Liberal Democrat Melksham and Devizes
Gerald Jones Labour Merthyr Tydfil and Aberdare
Henry Tufnell Labour Mid and South Pembrokeshire
Andrew Cooper Labour Mid Cheshire
Vikki Slade Liberal Democrat Mid Dorset and North Poole
Susan Murray Liberal Democrat Mid Dunbartonshire
Peter Bedford Conservative Mid Leicestershire
George Freeman Conservative Mid Norfolk
Alison Bennett Liberal Democrat Mid Sussex
Luke Myer Labour Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland
Kirsty McNeill Labour Midlothian
Emily Darlington Labour Milton Keynes Central
Chris Curtis Labour Milton Keynes North
Catherine Fookes Labour Monmouthshire
Steve Witherden Labour Montgomeryshire and Glyndŵr
Lizzi Collinge Labour Morecambe and Lunesdale
Pamela Nash Labour Motherwell, Wishaw and Carluke
Lee Dillon Liberal Democrat Newbury
Jessica Morden Labour Newport East
Martin Wrigley Liberal Democrat Newton Abbot
Irene Campbell Labour North Ayrshire and Arran
Ben Maguire Liberal Democrat North Cornwall
Ian Roome Liberal Democrat North Devon
Luke Akehurst Labour North Durham
Louise Jones Labour North East Derbyshire
Wendy Chamberlain Liberal Democrat North East Fife
Alex Brewer Liberal Democrat North East Hampshire
Chris Hinchliff Labour North East Hertfordshire
Dan Norris Labour North East Somerset and Hanham
Ellie Chowns Green Party North Herefordshire
Steff Aquarone Liberal Democrat North Norfolk
Helen Morgan Liberal Democrat North Shropshire
Sadik Al-Hassan Labour North Somerset
Rachel Taylor Labour North Warwickshire and Bedworth
Sam Carling Labour North West Cambridgeshire
Kit Malthouse Conservative North West Hampshire
Amanda Hack Labour North West Leicestershire
James Wild Conservative North West Norfolk
Lucy Rigby Labour Northampton North
Alice Macdonald Labour Norwich North
Clive Lewis Labour Norwich South
Nadia Whittome Labour Nottingham East
Alex Norris Labour Nottingham North and Kimberley
Lilian Greenwood Labour Nottingham South
Jodie Gosling Labour Nuneaton
Alistair Carmichael Liberal Democrat Orkney and Shetland
Jade Botterill Labour Ossett and Denby Dale
Layla Moran Liberal Democrat Oxford West and Abingdon
Miatta Fahnbulleh Labour Peckham
Jonathan Hinder Labour Pendle and Clitheroe
Marie Tidball Labour Penistone and Stocksbridge
Markus Campbell-Savours Labour Penrith and Solway
Fred Thomas Labour Plymouth Moor View
Luke Pollard Labour Plymouth Sutton and Devonport
Yvette Cooper Labour Pontefract, Castleford and Knottingley
Alex Davies-Jones Labour Pontypridd
Neil Duncan-Jordan Labour Poole
Amanda Martin Labour Portsmouth North
Stephen Morgan Labour Portsmouth South
Georgia Gould Labour Queen’s Park and Maida Vale
John Healey Labour Rawmarsh and Conisbrough
Anna Turley Labour Redcar
Chris Bloore Labour Redditch
Rishi Sunak Conservative Richmond and Northallerton
Lauren Edwards Labour Rochester and Strood
Andy MacNae Labour Rossendale and Darwen
Jake Richards Labour Rother Valley
Sarah Champion Labour Rotherham
John Slinger Labour Rugby
Alicia Kearns Conservative Rutland and Stamford
Alison Hume Labour Scarborough and Whitby
Nicholas Dakin Labour Scunthorpe
Bill Esterson Labour Sefton Central
Keir Mather Labour Selby
Laura Trott Conservative Sevenoaks
Olivia Blake Labour Sheffield Hallam
Louise Haigh Labour Sheffield Heeley
Clive Betts Labour Sheffield South East
Michelle Welsh Labour Sherwood Forest
Julia Buckley Labour Shrewsbury
Kevin McKenna Labour Sittingbourne and Sheppey
Neil Shastri-Hurst Conservative Solihull West and Shirley
Pippa Heylings Liberal Democrat South Cambridgeshire
Roz Savage Liberal Democrat South Cotswolds
Samantha Niblett Labour South Derbyshire
Caroline Voaden Liberal Democrat South Devon
Lloyd Hatton Labour South Dorset
Anna Gelderd Labour South East Cornwall
Paul Foster Labour South Ribble
James Cartlidge Conservative South Suffolk
Terry Jermy Labour South West Norfolk
David Burton-Sampson Labour Southend West and Leigh
Kim Leadbeater Labour Spen Valley
Daisy Cooper Liberal Democrat St Albans
Noah Law Labour St Austell and Newquay
Andrew George Liberal Democrat St Ives
Ian Sollom Liberal Democrat St Neots and Mid Cambridgeshire
Leigh Ingham Labour Stafford
Kevin Bonavia Labour Stevenage
Chris Kane Labour Stirling and Strathallan
Gareth Snell Labour Stoke-on-Trent Central
Cat Eccles Labour Stourbridge
Manuela Perteghella Liberal Democrat Stratford-on-Avon
Steve Reed Labour Streatham and Croydon North
Andrew Western Labour Stretford and Urmston
Simon Opher Labour Stroud
Jenny Riddell-Carpenter Labour Suffolk Coastal
Lewis Atkinson Labour Sunderland Central
Al Pinkerton Liberal Democrat Surrey Heath
Luke Taylor Liberal Democrat Sutton and Cheam
Andrew Mitchell Conservative Sutton Coldfield
Torsten Bell Labour Swansea West
Will Stone Labour Swindon North
Heidi Alexander Labour Swindon South
Sarah Edwards Labour Tamworth
Shaun Davies Labour Telford
Cameron Thomas Liberal Democrat Tewkesbury
Kevin Hollinrake Conservative Thirsk and Malton
Claire Young Liberal Democrat Thornbury and Yate
Rachel Gilmour Liberal Democrat Tiverton and Minehead
Steve Darling Liberal Democrat Torbay
Jayne Kirkham Labour Truro and Falmouth
Mike Martin Liberal Democrat Tunbridge Wells
Alan Campbell Labour Tynemouth
Danny Beales Labour Uxbridge and South Ruislip
Kanishka Narayan Labour Vale of Glamorgan
Simon Lightwood Labour Wakefield and Rothwell
Angela Eagle Labour Wallasey
Stella Creasy Labour Walthamstow
Charlotte Nichols Labour Warrington North
Sarah Hall Labour Warrington South
Matt Western Labour Warwick and Leamington
Sharon Hodgson Labour Washington and Gateshead South
Matt Turmaine Labour Watford
Adrian Ramsay Green Party Waveney Valley
Gen Kitchen Labour Wellingborough and Rushden
Tessa Munt Liberal Democrat Wells and Mendip Hills
Andrew Lewin Labour Welwyn Hatfield
Sarah Coombes Labour West Bromwich
Edward Morello Liberal Democrat West Dorset
Dan Aldridge Labour Weston-super-Mare
Josh MacAlister Labour Whitehaven and Workington
Lisa Nandy Labour Wigan
Danny Chambers Liberal Democrat Winchester
Charlie Maynard Liberal Democrat Witney
Will Forster Liberal Democrat Woking
Clive Jones Liberal Democrat Wokingham
Pat McFadden Labour Wolverhampton South East
Warinder Juss Labour Wolverhampton West
Michael Wheeler Labour Worsley and Eccles
Beccy Cooper Labour Worthing West
Andrew Ranger Labour Wrexham
Emma Reynolds Labour Wycombe
Mark Garnier Conservative Wyre Forest
Adam Dance Liberal Democrat Yeovil
Llinos Medi Plaid Cymru Ynys Môn
Luke Charters Labour York Outer
Sarah Owen (Teller) Labour Luton North
Bambos Charalambous (Teller) Labour Southgate and Wood Green
MPs who voted against the Bill
Kenneth Stevenson Labour Airdrie and Shotts
Alex Baker Labour Aldershot
Wendy Morton Conservative Aldridge-Brownhills
Brian Leishman Labour Alloa and Grangemouth
Andrew Griffith Conservative Arundel and South Downs
Sojan Joseph Labour Ashford
Angela Rayner Labour Ashton-under-Lyne
Sean Woodcock Labour Banbury
Nesil Caliskan Labour Barking
Stephanie Peacock Labour Barnsley South
Michelle Scrogham Labour Barrow and Furness
Richard Holden Conservative Basildon and Billericay
Kirsteen Sullivan Labour Bathgate and Linlithgow
Marsha De Cordova Labour Battersea
Joy Morrissey Conservative Beaconsfield
Liam Conlon Labour Beckenham and Penge
Mohammad Yasin Labour Bedford
Gavin Robinson Democratic Unionist Party Belfast East
Neil Coyle Labour Bermondsey and Old Southwark
John Lamont Conservative Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk
Rushanara Ali Labour Bethnal Green and Stepney
Graham Stuart Conservative Beverley and Holderness
Kieran Mullan Conservative Bexhill and Battle
Daniel Francis Labour Bexleyheath and Crayford
Calum Miller Liberal Democrat Bicester and Woodstock
Preet Kaur Gill Labour Birmingham Edgbaston
Paulette Hamilton Labour Birmingham Erdington
Tahir Ali Labour Birmingham Hall Green and Moseley
Liam Byrne Labour Birmingham Hodge Hill and Solihull North
Shabana Mahmood Labour Birmingham Ladywood
Laurence Turner Labour Birmingham Northfield
Ayoub Khan Independent Birmingham Perry Barr
Sam Rushworth Labour Bishop Auckland
Adnan Hussain Independent Blackburn
Graham Stringer Labour Blackley and Middleton South
Liz Twist Labour Blaydon and Consett
Ian Lavery Labour Blyth and Ashington
Alison Griffiths Conservative Bognor Regis and Littlehampton
Yasmin Qureshi Labour Bolton South and Walkden
Imran Hussain Independent Bradford East
Naz Shah Labour Bradford West
James Cleverly Conservative Braintree
Dawn Butler Labour Brent East
Barry Gardiner Labour Brent West
Alex Burghart Conservative Brentwood and Ongar
Martin Vickers Conservative Brigg and Immingham
Darren Jones Labour Bristol North West
Jerome Mayhew Conservative Broadland and Fakenham
Peter Fortune Conservative Bromley and Biggin Hill
Bradley Thomas Conservative Bromsgrove
Lewis Cocking Conservative Broxbourne
Juliet Campbell Labour Broxtowe
James Frith Labour Bury North
Ann Davies Plaid Cymru Caerfyrddin
Chris Evans Labour Caerphilly
Jamie Stone Liberal Democrat Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross
Josh Newbury Labour Cannock Chase
Rosie Duffield Independent Canterbury
Stephen Doughty Labour Cardiff South and Penarth
Julie Minns Labour Carlisle
Rebecca Harris Conservative Castle Point
Patrick Spencer Conservative Central Suffolk and North Ipswich
Tom Morrison Liberal Democrat Cheadle
Ben Coleman Labour Chelsea and Fulham
Iain Duncan Smith Conservative Chingford and Woodford Green
Dan Tomlinson Labour Chipping Barnet
Christopher Chope Conservative Christchurch
Mary Kelly Foy Labour City of Durham
Nigel Farage Reform UK Clacton
Bell Ribeiro-Addy Labour Clapham and Brixton Hill
Frank McNally Labour Coatbridge and Bellshill
Mary Creagh Labour Coventry East
Taiwo Owatemi Labour Coventry North West
Zarah Sultana Independent Coventry South
Melanie Ward Labour Cowdenbeath and Kirkcaldy
Katrina Murray Labour Cumbernauld and Kirkintilloch
Margaret Mullane Labour Dagenham and Rainham
Lola McEvoy Labour Darlington
Stuart Andrew Conservative Daventry
Catherine Atkinson Labour Derby North
Iqbal Mohamed Independent Dewsbury and Batley
Sally Jameson Labour Doncaster Central
Nigel Huddleston Conservative Droitwich and Evesham
Helen Hayes Labour Dulwich and West Norwood
John Cooper Conservative Dumfries and Galloway
David Mundell Conservative Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale
Rupa Huq Labour Ealing Central and Acton
Grahame Morris Labour Easington
Sammy Wilson Democratic Unionist Party East Antrim
Mims Davies Conservative East Grinstead and Uckfield
Stephen Timms Labour East Ham
Damian Hinds Conservative East Hampshire
Gregory Campbell Democratic Unionist Party East Londonderry
Blair McDougall Labour East Renfrewshire
Claire Coutinho Conservative East Surrey
Polly Billington Labour East Thanet
Danny Kruger Conservative East Wiltshire
Scott Arthur Labour Edinburgh South West
Kate Osamor Labour Edmonton and Winchmore Hill
Justin Madders Labour Ellesmere Port and Bromborough
Feryal Clark Labour Enfield North
Neil Hudson Conservative Epping Forest
Abena Oppong-Asare Labour Erith and Thamesmead
Monica Harding Liberal Democrat Esher and Walton
David Reed Conservative Exmouth and Exeter East
Suella Braverman Conservative Fareham and Waterlooville
Gregory Stafford Conservative Farnham and Bordon
Helen Whately Conservative Faversham and Mid Kent
Seema Malhotra Labour Feltham and Heston
Edward Leigh Conservative Gainsborough
Naushabah Khan Labour Gillingham and Rainham
John Grady Labour Glasgow East
Martin Rhodes Labour Glasgow North
Gordon McKee Labour Glasgow South
Zubir Ahmed Labour Glasgow South West
Patricia Ferguson Labour Glasgow West
Richard Baker Labour Glenrothes and Mid Fife
Alex McIntyre Labour Gloucester
Harriet Cross Conservative Gordon and Buchan
Gareth Davies Conservative Grantham and Bourne
Lauren Sullivan Labour Gravesham
Diane Abbott Labour Hackney North and Stoke Newington
Meg Hillier Labour Hackney South and Shoreditch
Paul Holmes Conservative Hamble Valley
Imogen Walker Labour Hamilton and Clyde Valley
Neil O’Brien Conservative Harborough, Oadby and Wigston
Bob Blackman Conservative Harrow East
Bernard Jenkin Conservative Harwich and North Essex
Alan Mak Conservative Havant
David Pinto-Duschinsky Labour Hendon
Jesse Norman Conservative Hereford and South Herefordshire
Roger Gale Conservative Herne Bay and Sandwich
Elsie Blundell Labour Heywood and Middleton North
Julia Lopez Conservative Hornchurch and Upminster
Bridget Phillipson Labour Houghton and Sunderland South
Ben Obese-Jecty Conservative Huntingdon
Sarah Smith Labour Hyndburn
Wes Streeting Labour Ilford North
Martin McCluskey Labour Inverclyde and Renfrewshire West
Angus MacDonald Liberal Democrat Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire
Jack Abbott Labour Ipswich
Joe Robertson Conservative Isle of Wight East
Richard Quigley Labour Isle of Wight West
Jeremy Corbyn Independent Islington North
Robbie Moore Conservative Keighley and Ilkley
Jeremy Wright Conservative Kenilworth and Southam
Lillian Jones Labour Kilmarnock and Loudoun
Ed Davey Liberal Democrat Kingston and Surbiton
Emma Hardy Labour Kingston upon Hull West and Haltemprice
Anneliese Midgley Labour Knowsley
Sorcha Eastwood Alliance Lagan Valley
Richard Burgon Independent Leeds East
Shivani Raja Conservative Leicester East
Shockat Adam Independent Leicester South
Vicky Foxcroft Labour Lewisham North
Ian Byrne Independent Liverpool West Derby
Nia Griffith Labour Llanelli
Jess Asato Labour Lowestoft
Helen Grant Conservative Maidstone and Malling
John Whittingdale Conservative Maldon
Edward Argar Conservative Melton and Syston
Saqib Bhatti Conservative Meriden and Solihull East
Blake Stephenson Conservative Mid Bedfordshire
Greg Smith Conservative Mid Buckinghamshire
Jonathan Davies Labour Mid Derbyshire
Andy McDonald Labour Middlesbrough and Thornaby East
Siobhain McDonagh Labour Mitcham and Morden
Torcuil Crichton Labour Na h-Eileanan an Iar
Julian Lewis Conservative New Forest East
Desmond Swayne Conservative New Forest West
Robert Jenrick Conservative Newark
Chi Onwurah Labour Newcastle upon Tyne Central and West
Mary Glindon Labour Newcastle upon Tyne East and Wallsend
Catherine McKinnell Labour Newcastle upon Tyne North
Adam Jogee Labour Newcastle-under-Lyme
Ruth Jones Labour Newport West and Islwyn
Alan Strickland Labour Newton Aycliffe and Spennymoor
Jon Trickett Labour Normanton and Hemsworth
Jim Allister Traditional Unionist Voice North Antrim
Richard Fuller Conservative North Bedfordshire
Simon Hoare Conservative North Dorset
Alex Easton Independent North Down
Steve Barclay Conservative North East Cambridgeshire
David Smith Labour North Northumberland
Kemi Badenoch Conservative North West Essex
Mike Reader Labour Northampton South
Louie French Conservative Old Bexley and Sidcup
Jim McMahon Labour Oldham West, Chadderton and Royton
Gareth Bacon Conservative Orpington
Anneliese Dodds Labour Oxford East
Alison Taylor Labour Paisley and Renfrewshire North
Johanna Baxter Labour Paisley and Renfrewshire South
Andrew Pakes Labour Peterborough
Apsana Begum Independent Poplar and Limehouse
Mark Hendrick Labour Preston
Fleur Anderson Labour Putney
Mark Francois Conservative Rayleigh and Wickford
Matt Rodda Labour Reading Central
Olivia Bailey Labour Reading West and Mid Berkshire
Rebecca Paul Conservative Reigate
Maya Ellis Labour Ribble Valley
Sarah Olney Liberal Democrat Richmond Park
Paul Waugh Labour Rochdale
Andrew Rosindell Conservative Romford
David Simmonds Conservative Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner
Mike Amesbury Independent Runcorn and Helsby
Ben Spencer Conservative Runnymede and Weybridge
James Naish Labour Rushcliffe
Michael Shanks Labour Rutherglen
Rebecca Long Bailey Independent Salford
John Glen Conservative Salisbury
Gill Furniss Labour Sheffield Brightside and Hillsborough
Abtisam Mohamed Labour Sheffield Central
Anna Dixon Labour Shipley
Julian Smith Conservative Skipton and Ripon
Caroline Johnson Conservative Sleaford and North Hykeham
Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi Labour Slough
Gurinder Singh Josan Labour Smethwick
Robin Swann Ulster Unionist Party South Antrim
James McMurdock Reform UK South Basildon and East Thurrock
John Hayes Conservative South Holland and The Deepings
Alberto Costa Conservative South Leicestershire
Ben Goldsborough Labour South Norfolk
Sarah Bool Conservative South Northamptonshire
Emma Lewell-Buck Labour South Shields
Stuart Anderson Conservative South Shropshire
Rebecca Smith Conservative South West Devon
Gagan Mohindra Conservative South West Hertfordshire
Andrew Murrison Conservative South West Wiltshire
Darren Paffey Labour Southampton Itchen
Satvir Kaur Labour Southampton Test
Bayo Alaba Labour Southend East and Rochford
Patrick Hurley Labour Southport
Lincoln Jopp Conservative Spelthorne
David Baines Labour St Helens North
Marie Rimmer Labour St Helens South and Whiston
Karen Bradley Conservative Staffordshire Moorlands
Jonathan Reynolds Labour Stalybridge and Hyde
Chris McDonald Labour Stockton North
Matt Vickers Conservative Stockton West
David Williams Labour Stoke-on-Trent North
Allison Gardner Labour Stoke-on-Trent South
Gavin Williamson Conservative Stone, Great Wyrley and Penkridge
Jim Shannon Democratic Unionist Party Strangford
Uma Kumaran Labour Stratford and Bow
Esther McVey Conservative Tatton
Gideon Amos Liberal Democrat Taunton and Wellington
Mark Pritchard Conservative The Wrekin
Jen Craft Labour Thurrock
Antonia Bance Labour Tipton and Wednesbury
Tom Tugendhat Conservative Tonbridge
Rosena Allin-Khan Labour Tooting
Nick Thomas-Symonds Labour Torfaen
Geoffrey Cox Conservative Torridge and Tavistock
David Lammy Labour Tottenham
Munira Wilson Liberal Democrat Twickenham
Carla Lockhart Democratic Unionist Party Upper Bann
Valerie Vaz Labour Walsall and Bloxwich
Katie Lam Conservative Weald of Kent
Andrew Bowie Conservative West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine
Douglas McAllister Labour West Dunbartonshire
James Asser Labour West Ham and Beckton
Ashley Dalton Labour West Lancashire
Nick Timothy Conservative West Suffolk
Tim Farron Liberal Democrat Westmorland and Lonsdale
Alec Shelbrooke Conservative Wetherby and Easingwold
Derek Twigg Labour Widnes and Halewood
Paul Kohler Liberal Democrat Wimbledon
Jack Rankin Conservative Windsor
Matthew Patrick Labour Wirral West
Priti Patel Conservative Witham
Sureena Brackenridge Labour Wolverhampton North East
Tom Collins Labour Worcester
Mike Kane Labour Wythenshawe and Sale East
Rachael Maskell Labour York Central
Florence Eshalomi (Teller) Labour Vauxhall and Camberwell Green
Harriett Baldwin (Teller) Conservative West Worcestershire
MPs with no vote recorded
Kirsty Blackman Scottish National Party Aberdeen North
Stephen Flynn Scottish National Party Aberdeen South
Seamus Logan Scottish National Party Aberdeenshire North and Moray East
Dave Doogan Scottish National Party Angus and Perthshire Glens
Stephen Gethins Scottish National Party Arbroath and Broughty Ferry
Brendan O’Hara Scottish National Party Argyll, Bute and South Lochaber
John Finucane Sinn Féin Belfast North
Claire Hanna Social Democratic & Labour Party Belfast South and Mid Down
Paul Maskey Sinn Féin Belfast West
Al Carns Labour Birmingham Selly Oak
Nick Smith Labour Blaenau Gwent and Rhymney
Jessica Toale Labour Bournemouth West
Judith Cummins Deputy Speaker Bradford South
Charlie Dewhirst Conservative Bridlington and The Wolds
Josh Fenton-Glynn Labour Calder Valley
Lindsay Hoyle Speaker Chorley
Peter Lamb Labour Crawley
Chris Law Scottish National Party Dundee Central
Ian Murray Labour Edinburgh South
Pat Cullen Sinn Féin Fermanagh and South Tyrone
Andrew Gwynne Labour Gorton and Denton
Gareth Thomas Labour Harrow West
Mike Wood Conservative Kingswinford and South Staffordshire
Cat Smith Labour Lancaster and Wyre
Alex Sobel Labour Leeds Central and Headingley
Ellie Reeves Labour Lewisham West and East Dulwich
Dan Carden Labour Liverpool Walton
Douglas Alexander Labour Lothian East
Afzal Khan Labour Manchester Rusholme
Cathal Mallaghan Sinn Féin Mid Ulster
Graham Leadbitter Scottish National Party Moray West, Nairn and Strathspey
Carolyn Harris Labour Neath and Swansea East
Dáire Hughes Sinn Féin Newry and Armagh
Geoffrey Clifton-Brown Conservative North Cotswolds
Debbie Abrahams Labour Oldham East and Saddleworth
Pete Wishart Scottish National Party Perth and Kinross-shire
Chris Bryant Labour Rhondda and Ogmore
Caroline Nokes Deputy Speaker Romsey and Southampton North
Chris Hazzard Sinn Féin South Down
Navendu Mishra Labour Stockport
Nusrat Ghani Deputy Speaker Sussex Weald
Órfhlaith Begley Sinn Féin West Tyrone
Chris Jarvis is head of strategy and development at Left Foot Forward
Assisted dying: ‘We should be proud of all MPs’ civil debate and serious reflection’
:For all the speculation that the vote would be down to the wire, in the end the result was decisive. MPs, by a majority of 55, voted to back assisted dying, in stark contrast to another vote on the subject less than ten years ago.
For Labour, it was a vote that divided the party beyond traditional left-right splits, with everyone from ardent socialists to free-market thinkers walking almost hand in hand in their respective lobbies for the free vote in the Commons yesterday.
It was a split that was, and will be, evident at the Cabinet table, especially as the bill gets greater scrutiny.
While the Prime Minister and Chancellor both backed Kim Leadbeater’s bill, Health Secretary Wes Streeting and Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood were vocal opponents against it.
One notable thing that united MPs of all parties, regardless of how they voted, was their respect for one another during such a sensitive debate.
The jeering and raucousness that we have come to expect from the Commons was, mostly, gone – instead replaced by respectful, thoughtful and considered contemplation of a bill of a nature of the scale of same-sex marriage, abortion and the abolition of the death penalty.
MPs spoke passionately for and against with deeply personal anecdotes, which left themselves and no doubt many in the chamber choked up.
Regardless of how you feel about the result, we should all be proud of our parliamentarians for treating the bill and the wider debate with the seriousness it deserves.
The debate on this issue should be held up as a gold standard that we should expect all our MPs to reach when debating any parliamentary matter.
LabourList had been tracking how Labour MPs were planning on voting today; by the time the vote came, roughly 160 were on our list as undecided or had not made their position public.
From a close look at the result, it is clear that a majority of those ended up voting to back the bill at second reading.
While many of those MPs will have their own reasons for that move, it appears to suggest a willingness, at least from the Labour benches, to carry on the conversation and debate without necessarily committing Parliament to passing this bill into law.
Any talk of the bill passing into law is premature, for the result only marks the beginning of a greater debate over whether assisted dying has a place in British society and, if so, what form it should take.
Many more hours of committee procedures, along with discussion in the House of Lords and eventually again in the Commons, and of course the media, are yet to come.
However, there is no denying the historic nature of yesterday’s vote – one that may not be matched for many years, if not decades, to come.
Why many disabled people oppose the Leadbeater Bill
NOVEMBER 26, 2024
Merry Cross surveys the Government’s latest attempts to cuts the benefits bill by bullying and explains disabled people’s opposition to the Assisted Dying Bill.
I wonder if the Parliamentary Labour Party has any idea of how many voters it has lost through its insistence on continuing the persecution of disabled people, which is so forensically documented in John Pring’s new book The Department: How a Violent Government Bureaucracy Killed Hundreds and Hid the Evidence.
The cuts to our eligibility for benefits as well as the value of them, started with a Labour Government decades ago and have been enthusiastically continued ever since. The results have been disastrous, not just for our physical and mental health, but for our families too. Add into that the reduction in our and our families’ spending power and its impact on the economy, the destruction of social care and the NHS and the absence of affordable, accessible housing and the obstacles to living, let alone living a dignified life, and these cuts have been multiplied many times. That is what being disabled means today, in one of the wealthiest countries on the planet.
Exactly how are we expected to find that holy grail of jobs, when there may be no-one available to help us get up and get ready to leave the house? How, when even if we and our families have managed that, do we get to a job when there is little or no accessible transport available? How do we hold down a job, even if it is working from home, when the medication we need may no longer be available from the NHS or we are unable to get appointments with our GPs?
Mr. Starmer, I am old enough to remember the first iteration of staff in Job Centres (which used to be the Social Security offices) who were there supposedly to help us find jobs. They knew zilch, nada, nothing at all about impairments or disability and were as useless as chocolate teapots then. Nothing has changed there and neither has the enthusiasm, or lack of it, amongst employers for offering us jobs. This has been massively exacerbated by the almost total destruction of the Access to Work scheme, which even 20 years ago wasn’t that great. Let’s face it, given that all the Government bullying to date hasn’t decreased the benefits bill, why tread the same path?
So, is it any surprise that many, many disabled people belonging to many different disability organisations are against the Assisted Dying Bill? Please don’t set too much store by Tom Shakespeare’s assertion that a “quiet majority are in favour of it” when he produces no evidence for that at all. Can you imagine how humiliating and terrifying it is to see a Government possibly preparing to spend money on ending our lives, rather than on helping us live with the dignity that those in favour of the Bill desire for the end of life?
Most disabled people are likely to have the greatest compassion for those who suffer and die perhaps in pain. But we contend that if they hadn’t witnessed, and then been subjected to the reduction in the quality, support for, and meaningfulness of our lives, perhaps they too would oppose the bill.
Our slogan is #AssistUsToLive.
Merry Cross has been a disability activist for fifty years and was among the first members of Disabled People Against Cuts, of which she also chaired a local branch for ten years.
Image: https://www.flickr.com/photos/lccr/2865509591. Creator: The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights. Licence: Attribution-NonCommercial 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC 2.0)
Assisted dying: Not the Church, not the state, I will decide my fate
NOVEMBER 25, 2024
By Joan Twelves
After Donald Trump’s recent presidential victory, a far-right tweet triumphantly declaring “Your body, My choice” went viral. This misogynistic phrase all too sadly sums up the debate over abortion rights in the US. But it’s also relevant to the current debate on assisted dying in the UK, which is set to be debated in Parliament this week.
I’ve spent over 50 years campaigning for a woman’s right to choose whether and when she gives birth. I cannot separate that belief, either morally, philosophically or politically, from my belief that I – and all others – must have a right to choose whether and when I live or die.
As a former local councillor, my instincts are those of a politician, but, while it is politicians who are going to decide on whether I can have the right to die at a time of my choosing, my unflinching support for assisted dying is rooted in my lived experience.
Since my late teens I’ve suffered from Crohn’s disease, a condition that is agonising and incurable. I had extensive abdominal surgery in my twenties and again in my forties, resulting in the permanent removal of my bowel and much of my lower intestine. Despite occasional periods of remission, I have lived all of my adult life with intense pain, unpredictable (and potentially fatal) intestinal blockages, and all the problems associated with living with a stoma. When I was first ill, hardly anyone had heard of Crohn’s, and explaining what I was going through was nigh on impossible. I don’t do pity, and nor do I want to listen to others’ squeamishness about my bodily functions… So I rarely talk about it.
Crohn’s effectively stole the ‘90s and ‘00s from me – I had little energy, depression, brain fog, and only the barest interest in the politics which had been my life for the previous 20 years. When my late husband, Greg, become ill in the mid-‘00s it was a real struggle for me to care for him as I could barely care for myself.
New biological drugs gave me my life back in the early 2010s. But these wonder drugs, which I am still on, bring with them their own risks. Life expectancy for a woman with Crohn’s is nearly a decade less than the average. The biological and immunosuppressant drugs I have taken may be one of the reasons for that reduced life span. And, of course, Covid-19 loves to target those with weakened immunity, and the deadly threat of catching it has limited me to only the occasional trip into the outside world since 2020. Am I facing another lost decade?
The greatest risk to my life is intestinal blockage caused by the strictures and lesions of my several operations. Getting to hospital for morphine and rehydration is urgent, and even with morphine plus added steroids the pain will continue for several days, and I will be ill for some time afterwards.
Crohn’s isn’t my only ailment. Most of my body is creaking from the effects of 60 years of strong medications along with the wear and tear of age. In fact, these days when asked how I am, I usually respond with “Still here” or “How long have you got?” I officially have multiple chronic and complex comorbidities.
Chronic illness has defined most my adult life, but, just as I have tried not to let it limit what I can do, I have no intention of giving up yet. However, I know that one day the pain may become unbearable, and I want to be able to decide for myself that I don’t want any more of it, that I’m done.
Much of the debate over assisted dying has focused on the state of palliative care – something I know a bit about. Before Greg died of throat cancer at the age of 54, he used to call the palliative care people the ‘Death Squad’. He had already lost his voice, and he knew that the pain medication of offer would soon take away his personality and identity. For him that would have been a living death, as it would for me. We didn’t talk about assisted dying, but after over 30 years together we knew each other’s views. He wasn’t ready to die when he had a fatal arterial haemorrhage, but he had been told to ‘put his affairs in order’ – a chilling euphemism for saying it’s terminal.
Palliative care works for some, but the arguments around assisted dying shouldn’t be a competition between improved palliative care and the right to die. In an advanced society, both should be available and both should be of equally high standard. Nobody should want to die because the palliative care isn’t good enough, or because hospices aren’t receiving the funding they need. On the other hand, nobody should be stopped from dying when they choose. Yes, robust protections must be in place to stop people being coerced into something they don’t want, but this risk isn’t a good enough excuse to deny those of us who truly want the right to choose when to die.
Think of it this way: would any supporter of abortion rights argue that it should be illegal while we wait for our gynae or maternity services to be improved? Similarly, should the risk of a young women being coerced into an abortion she doesn’t want mean that nobody else should be allowed to have one? The answer is clearly no and, much like abortion, assisted dying will continue to happen, so enshrining rights and protections into law will mean there can be proper safeguards to protect the vulnerable.
To me the argument of a ‘slippery slope’ is disingenuous. Did its advocates not notice the landslide at the height of the pandemic, when thousands were assisted to die without any choice? Again, legal safeguards and procedures are needed to protect medical staff as well as vulnerable patients.
Finally, MPs and many ministers may be struggling to come to a decision on this matter, but the UK public are crystal clear in their views. The latest YouGov poll shows substantial support for both the principle of assisted dying and the bill before Parliament. The study finds a super-majority of 73% in favour, with only 13% against, spanning all demographics and political parties.
Whatever our politicians decide, support for assisted dying isn’t going away. Although there are many sincere concerns about the proposals, there doesn’t seem to be anything that scrutiny during the passage of the bill and more investment in palliative care couldn’t fix. We must grasp this chance and ensure that dignity in death is a fundamental right down to the choice of the individual, not the state.
Joan Twelves is a Labour, trade union and community activist and former Labour Leader of Lambeth Council. This article originally appeared on her blog here.
Image: https://www.picpedia.org/chalkboard/a/assisted-dying.html License: Creative Commons 3 – CC BY-SA 3.0 Attribution: Alpha Stock Images – http://alphastockimages.com/ Original Author: Nick Youngson – link to – http://www.nyphotographic.com/
NOVEMBER 25, 2024
By Joan Twelves
After Donald Trump’s recent presidential victory, a far-right tweet triumphantly declaring “Your body, My choice” went viral. This misogynistic phrase all too sadly sums up the debate over abortion rights in the US. But it’s also relevant to the current debate on assisted dying in the UK, which is set to be debated in Parliament this week.
I’ve spent over 50 years campaigning for a woman’s right to choose whether and when she gives birth. I cannot separate that belief, either morally, philosophically or politically, from my belief that I – and all others – must have a right to choose whether and when I live or die.
As a former local councillor, my instincts are those of a politician, but, while it is politicians who are going to decide on whether I can have the right to die at a time of my choosing, my unflinching support for assisted dying is rooted in my lived experience.
Since my late teens I’ve suffered from Crohn’s disease, a condition that is agonising and incurable. I had extensive abdominal surgery in my twenties and again in my forties, resulting in the permanent removal of my bowel and much of my lower intestine. Despite occasional periods of remission, I have lived all of my adult life with intense pain, unpredictable (and potentially fatal) intestinal blockages, and all the problems associated with living with a stoma. When I was first ill, hardly anyone had heard of Crohn’s, and explaining what I was going through was nigh on impossible. I don’t do pity, and nor do I want to listen to others’ squeamishness about my bodily functions… So I rarely talk about it.
Crohn’s effectively stole the ‘90s and ‘00s from me – I had little energy, depression, brain fog, and only the barest interest in the politics which had been my life for the previous 20 years. When my late husband, Greg, become ill in the mid-‘00s it was a real struggle for me to care for him as I could barely care for myself.
New biological drugs gave me my life back in the early 2010s. But these wonder drugs, which I am still on, bring with them their own risks. Life expectancy for a woman with Crohn’s is nearly a decade less than the average. The biological and immunosuppressant drugs I have taken may be one of the reasons for that reduced life span. And, of course, Covid-19 loves to target those with weakened immunity, and the deadly threat of catching it has limited me to only the occasional trip into the outside world since 2020. Am I facing another lost decade?
The greatest risk to my life is intestinal blockage caused by the strictures and lesions of my several operations. Getting to hospital for morphine and rehydration is urgent, and even with morphine plus added steroids the pain will continue for several days, and I will be ill for some time afterwards.
Crohn’s isn’t my only ailment. Most of my body is creaking from the effects of 60 years of strong medications along with the wear and tear of age. In fact, these days when asked how I am, I usually respond with “Still here” or “How long have you got?” I officially have multiple chronic and complex comorbidities.
Chronic illness has defined most my adult life, but, just as I have tried not to let it limit what I can do, I have no intention of giving up yet. However, I know that one day the pain may become unbearable, and I want to be able to decide for myself that I don’t want any more of it, that I’m done.
Much of the debate over assisted dying has focused on the state of palliative care – something I know a bit about. Before Greg died of throat cancer at the age of 54, he used to call the palliative care people the ‘Death Squad’. He had already lost his voice, and he knew that the pain medication of offer would soon take away his personality and identity. For him that would have been a living death, as it would for me. We didn’t talk about assisted dying, but after over 30 years together we knew each other’s views. He wasn’t ready to die when he had a fatal arterial haemorrhage, but he had been told to ‘put his affairs in order’ – a chilling euphemism for saying it’s terminal.
Palliative care works for some, but the arguments around assisted dying shouldn’t be a competition between improved palliative care and the right to die. In an advanced society, both should be available and both should be of equally high standard. Nobody should want to die because the palliative care isn’t good enough, or because hospices aren’t receiving the funding they need. On the other hand, nobody should be stopped from dying when they choose. Yes, robust protections must be in place to stop people being coerced into something they don’t want, but this risk isn’t a good enough excuse to deny those of us who truly want the right to choose when to die.
Think of it this way: would any supporter of abortion rights argue that it should be illegal while we wait for our gynae or maternity services to be improved? Similarly, should the risk of a young women being coerced into an abortion she doesn’t want mean that nobody else should be allowed to have one? The answer is clearly no and, much like abortion, assisted dying will continue to happen, so enshrining rights and protections into law will mean there can be proper safeguards to protect the vulnerable.
To me the argument of a ‘slippery slope’ is disingenuous. Did its advocates not notice the landslide at the height of the pandemic, when thousands were assisted to die without any choice? Again, legal safeguards and procedures are needed to protect medical staff as well as vulnerable patients.
Finally, MPs and many ministers may be struggling to come to a decision on this matter, but the UK public are crystal clear in their views. The latest YouGov poll shows substantial support for both the principle of assisted dying and the bill before Parliament. The study finds a super-majority of 73% in favour, with only 13% against, spanning all demographics and political parties.
Whatever our politicians decide, support for assisted dying isn’t going away. Although there are many sincere concerns about the proposals, there doesn’t seem to be anything that scrutiny during the passage of the bill and more investment in palliative care couldn’t fix. We must grasp this chance and ensure that dignity in death is a fundamental right down to the choice of the individual, not the state.
Joan Twelves is a Labour, trade union and community activist and former Labour Leader of Lambeth Council. This article originally appeared on her blog here.
Image: https://www.picpedia.org/chalkboard/a/assisted-dying.html License: Creative Commons 3 – CC BY-SA 3.0 Attribution: Alpha Stock Images – http://alphastockimages.com/ Original Author: Nick Youngson – link to – http://www.nyphotographic.com/
