Closing summary
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You can keep up to date with the Guardian’s UK politics coverage here. You can also see how your MP voted on the assisted dying bill via this interactive:
Here is a summary from today’s blog:
Assisted dying is set to become law after a historic vote in parliament, as MPs passed Kim Leadbeater’s bill by 314 to 291 votes, a majority of 23, to legalise the procedure for terminally ill people. Keir Starmer backed the bill, which will head to the House of Lords, though peers are not expected to block its progress.
Labour’s Kim Leadbeater – the bill’s sponsor – described the passing of the assisted dying bill at third reading as a “result that so many people need”. Speaking after the historic vote, the Spen Valley MP said: “Thank goodness we got the result that so many people need, but I also feel that it was done really respectfully and the atmosphere in the chamber was very civilised.”
Ahead of the final vote on the bill, MPs passed several new amendments, including two from opponents of the bill. One would bar those who refused food and water from being classified as having a terminal illness, though MPs concerned about anorexia said it may not prevent that slipping through the gap. The other would commission the health secretary to report on the state of palliative care.
The cabinet was deeply split on the legisation. Cabinet ministers to join Starmer voting in favour included Rachel Reeves, Yvette Cooper, John Healey, Liz Kendall, Pat McFadden, Heidi Alexander, Ed Miliband, Steve Reed and Peter Kyle. Among those opposed were Angela Rayner, the deputy prime minister, Bridget Phillipson, Jonathan Reynolds, Wes Streeting, Shabana Mahmood and Darren Jones.
Opening Friday’s debate, Leadbeater said that now was the moment to seize, to “correct the profound injustices of the status quo and to offer a compassionate and safe choice to terminally ill people who want to make it”. She said it was “not a choice between living and dying – it is a choice for terminally ill people about how they die”. She said rejecting the bill was “not a neutral act, it is a vote for the status quo … and it fills me with despair to think MPs could be here in another 10 years’ time hearing the same stories”.
The former foreign secretary James Cleverly, who had opened the debate for opponents of the measure, said he was an atheist but had rejected the bill because, he said, the right safeguards were not in place. “We were promised the gold standard, a judicially underpinned set of protections and safeguards,” he said, citing concerns from professional bodies including the Royal College of Psychiatrists.
Terminally ill people and families were in the public galleries watching the debate and at a rally in Parliament Square. But concerns were raised by disability activists, who held a protest outside parliament, and MPs opposed to the bill made passionate pleas that it would lead to people being coerced into ending their lives early.
The Labour peer Charlie Falconer will take over shepherding the bill through the Lords and Leadbeater said she hoped it would receive royal assent by October.
Assisted dying supporters celebrated and thanked MPs for the “historic step”. Campaigners My Death, My Decision described the result as a “momentous victory for the overwhelming majority who support assisted dying”, but opposition campaigners said, after the vote, descibed the assisted dying bill as “deeply flawed and dangerous”.
Hospices and end-of-life care professionals are now said to face “huge implications” after the assisted dying bill cleared the House of Commons. Ministers will have a year to report on how assisted dying could affect palliative care, if the assisted dying bill becomes law, as MPs called “aye” to approve Liberal Democrat MP Munira Wilson’s amendment 21.
A security review has been launched across the defence estate after pro-Palestinian activists broke into an RAF base and sprayed two military planes with red paint. Footage posted online by Palestine Action on Friday morning shows two people inside RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire. The clip shows one person riding an electric scooter up to an Airbus Voyager air-to-air refuelling tanker and appearing to spray paint into its jet engine. The Ministry of Defence condemned the vandalism, while Keir Starmer said it was “disgraceful”.
British nationals who want to leave Israel will be offered charter flights from Tel Aviv as soon as airspace reopens, the government has said. With the conflict with Iran continuing, Whitehall officials have been working to organise escape routes for the thousands of British and dual nationals in Israel.
UK government borrowing rose to £17.7bn last month, marking the second highest for May on record, according to official figures. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said May borrowing was £700m higher than a year earlier, though it was slightly less than the £18bn most economists had been expecting.
A major rebellion is not brewing over the government’s welfare reform plans, Lisa Nandy said on Friday. Asked by BBC Breakfast if she was detecting signs of a large rebellion, the culture secretary replied: “I’m not. It would be wrong to say that when you bring forward big reforms, there aren’t concerns and there aren’t dissenting voices, of course there are.”
Keir Starmer’s artificial intelligence tsar, a key figure in steering the government’s approach to artificial intelligence, is stepping down after six months in the role. Matt Clifford, the author of the government’s AI opportunities action plan, said he would leave his post next month for personal reasons.
Thousands of European airline staff are being trained to stop people boarding flights to Britain without valid visas, in a move billed by the foreign secretary as a digital upgrade to border controls. Lammy said the measures marked a step towards “more secure, more digital and more effective” borders, but the move could raise questions about human rights safeguards.
The Scottish government aims to make £1bn of savings with a public service reform strategy that aims to reduce the spend of public bodies by 20% over the next five years. Ivan McKee told BBC Radio Scotland this morning was looking “across the gamut” of 131 public bodies and 51 directorates for savings, and reduction of duplication.
Fergus Ewing, the former Scottish National party (SNP) minister and son of Nationalist icon Winnie, has announced that he will stand against the party as an independent at the next Holyrood elections. His announcement means his membership of the SNP ceases with immediate effect.
MPs backed the assisted dying bill with “a convincing majority”, Kim Leadbeater has said, according to the PA news agency.
Asked about the reduced majority, the Labour MP for Spen Valley told the Commons:
We knew there would be some movement both ways. There’s also people who couldn’t be here today for genuine reasons, possibly on both sides.
But it’s a majority, and it’s a convincing majority, and the will of the house will be now be respected by the Lords, and the bill will go through to its next stage.
But I also remain really respectful to the people who took a different view today, and who might continue to hold a different view.
And I’m happy to work with them to provide any reassurance or if they’ve got any questions about the bill that they want to talk through with me, my door has always been open and remains open.
Marie Curie has called for end-of-life care to be urgently reviewed to look at gaps in the system.
The organisation’s chief executive, Matthew Reed, said:
If assisted dying is legalised, it is more crucial than ever that our governments across the UK ensure that there is palliative care available for anyone who needs it.
It is impossible to imagine that this could be achieved without an assessment of the quality and distribution of palliative care services currently available.
While we welcome that the assisted dying bill has been amended to require such an assessment, this will not on its own make the improvements needed to guarantee everyone is able to access the palliative care they need.
He said Marie Curie will keep making the case to the government for a palliative care strategy for England with “a sustainable funding settlement” and to ask the incoming Welsh government to “transform palliative and end-of-life care” to ensure equal access to good care.
He added:
Marie Curie remains neutral on the question of whether assisted dying should be legalised, and whether the law changes in England and Wales or not, it is vital that governments across the UK are held to account to ensure plans are in place to fix end-of-life care for good.
Kim Leadbeater says passing of assisted dying bill is a 'result that so many people need'
Labour’s Kim Leadbeater described the passing of the assisted dying bill at third reading as a “result that so many people need”.
Speaking after the historic vote, the Spen Valley MP said:
Thank goodness we got the result that so many people need, but I also feel that it was done really respectfully and the atmosphere in the chamber was very civilised.
She added:
When you’ve spent as much time as I have with people who have got experience of losing loved ones in very difficult circumstances, and you’ve spent time with terminally ill people, who are just asking for choice at the end of their days, then this is absolutely the right thing to do.
Does it need all the safeguards that its got in it? Absolutely. Does it need a thorough robust process which the bill lays out? Of course it does. But does it fundamentally need to give dying people choice? That is absolutely what this has been about, in a safe way.
It’s their voices I’ve tried to keep at the heart of the debate, you know MPs like to make it about ourselves. It’s not actually about us, it’s about the people that sent us here, the people that we represent.
Leadbeater met nine campaigners who backed assisted dying, as they gathered around her in parliament’s Central Lobby.
She hugged Rebecca, 42, whose mother, Fiona, was diagnosed with metastatic brain cancer in November 2022 and given three months to live. Rebecca said her mum “was vivacious, still working, incredibly independent, positive” before her diagnosis and later her death aged 69.
“She had a deeply traumatic death, essentially,” Rebecca told the PA news agency. She said:
She gradually lost all of her faculties apart from, you know, her mental capacity, so she couldn’t write, she couldn’t speak, she couldn’t read, she couldn’t breathe. She was just despairing. She begged us every day to help her die.
Rebecca said her mother received palliative care but added:
Palliative care will not assist everyone, but also it’s not just about that. It’s about the fact that they want to have choice and so for mum, even if her symptoms could have been managed, that wouldn’t have alleviated her distress, because she was dying but then she also had no control over that.
And as she was dying, she said to me that she wanted me to make a really loud noise so that other people didn’t have to go through what she’d gone through.
Speaking in Central Lobby, Rebecca described Leadbeater as “formidable in advocating” for people who have had similar experiences to her, and she said of her own campaign that it “feels like I’m doing something for my mum”.
Hospices and end-of-life care professionals are now said to face “huge implications” after the assisted dying bill cleared the House of Commons.
Jan Noble, interim chief executive of St Christopher’s, said:
Today’s vote to pass the terminally ill adults (end of life) bill has huge implications for hospices and end of life care professionals.
It is vital that the government now provides assurance that the impact on hospices will be properly considered and that high-quality end of life care is made available to everyone across the country, and for that we need a better funding model for hospices.
Our position on any change of law remains neutral but as the home of the modern hospice movement we’re committed to providing expertise and evidence to policymakers and we’re now urging the House of Lords to carefully consider the complex views of the public, particularly those with experience of health inequalities.
We recognise this may be a difficult moment for many of those working in hospice and end-of-life care, as well as the wider health and social care sector. We are now looking to both the government and the House of Lords for further reassurances that they will address the concerns raised by multiple professionals’ bodies.
As a hospice, our absolute priority continues to be making sure that everyone who needs it gets the expert palliative and end of life care they need, whenever or wherever that may be.
Hospice UK described the vote as representing a “seismic change for end-of-life care in England and Wales” and warned it adds to the “urgency to improve palliative care”, reports the PA news agency.
Its chief executive Toby Porter, said:
Today’s decision by MPs represents a seismic change for end of life care in England and Wales. The introduction of assisted dying would have a huge impact on hospices, who are at the forefront of this care in communities across the country.
Already, too many people don’t get the care they need at the end of their lives. Today’s decision brings the urgency to improve palliative care into even sharper focus, particularly for the most vulnerable members of society.
Should the bill become law, the government has four years to bring about a transformation in palliative and end of life care. Nobody should ever feel that they have to choose an assisted death because they fear they won’t get the care and support they need. As it stands, we are concerned this could become the case.
The bill does not detail where assisted dying will take place, or to what extent hospices will be involved. This leaves many unanswered questions for hospices, who are already under immense pressure.
Hospice UK remains neutral on the principle of assisted dying. We will work with hospices, parliamentarians and government throughout the implementation period, assuming the bill progresses, to navigate the many operational challenges it poses, and ensure the expertise and experience of the hospice sector is heard.
Fergus Ewing, the former Scottish National party (SNP) minister and son of Nationalist icon Winnie, has announced that he will stand against the party as an independent at the next Holyrood elections.
His announcement means his membership of the SNP ceases with immediate effect, making permanent a breach that has been growing for a number of years, as Ewing become increasingly critical of the party’s stance on gender reform and its governing partnership with the Scottish Greens.
Ewing had already announced his intention to stand down as SNP MSP for the constituency of Inverness and Nairn – the chosen SNP candidate there for the 2026 election, Emma Roddick, represents a new generation of Nationalist politicians, shaped by former first minister Nicola Sturgeon, for whom progress on equalities must go hand in hand with the fight for independence.
Ewing told the BBC that he had taken the decision because the SNP had “deserted many of the people whose causes we used to champion”.
He added:
I believe the SNP has lost its way and that devolution itself – presently – is letting Scotland’s people down. It doesn’t need to be this way.
Here is a video showing the moment that the result of the vote on assisted dying was announced in the House of Commons:
Updated
Interactive: How did your MP vote on the assisted dying bill?
MPs have voted to pass the assisted dying bill at third reading allowing some terminally ill people in England and Wales to get medical help in ending their lives. The bill now goes to the House of Lords.
Find out how every MP voted – or didn’t – using the interactive visual linked below.
Opposition campaigners say assisted dying bill remains 'deeply flawed'
The assisted dying bill remains “deeply flawed and dangerous”, opposition campaigners said after the vote, according to the PA news agency.
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.
He added:
The current bill fails to protect vulnerable and disabled people from coercion.
Right To Life UK said the bill “still faces an uphill battle” to get through the House of Lords.
Spokesperson Catherine Robinson said:
Although the bill passed the Commons today, momentum remains with its opponents, with support consistently falling every time MPs have considered it.
The bill leaves the Commons lacking a majority, with fewer than half of all MPs voting for it at its final stage.
The bill still faces an uphill battle to reach royal assent. We will be fighting it at every stage in the House of Lords.
Keir Starmer backed assisted dying bill, Commons division list shows
Prime minister Keir Starmer has backed the assisted dying bill at third reading, the Commons division list shows, reports the PA news agency.
It also shows Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch cast her vote in the “no” lobby.
Assisted dying supporters celebrate and thank MPs for 'historic step'
Campaigners My Death, My Decision described the result as a “momentous victory for the overwhelming majority who support assisted dying”, reports the PA news agency.
Carmen Sumadiwiria, from the organisation that campaigns for the legalisation of assisted dying in England and Wales, said:
This is a day for the history books, where facts have prevailed over fear. Today’s vote reflects what the British public has known for years, that everyone deserves the right to choose a compassionate death.
We are grateful to politicians who listened to evidence, reason, and the lived experience of dying Brits. This is a momentous victory for the overwhelming majority who support assisted dying, and we will keep working to make sure those voices continue to be heard.
We want to thank every parliamentarian who stood up today for dignity and common sense. Your courage has given hope to terminally ill adults across the country who simply want the choice to die peacefully and on their own terms. We are proud to stand with you and will continue to work for a fairer, kinder law.
The yes vote marks a “significant step” to “ending that unnecessary and cruel suffering” of dying people, Humanists UK said. Andrew Copson, its chief executive, 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.
MPs have finally recognised the fact that assisted dying is already happening in this country. People are travelling to Switzerland if they have the money and mobility to do so. Others are dying in traumatic circumstances by suicide. Many more are suffering greatly, even while receiving the best possible care.
Today, we are a significant step closer to ending that unnecessary and cruel suffering and MPs should be commended for taking this step.
Outside parliament, supporters of the bill are celebrating:
The PA news agency has reaction from inside and outside parliament:
Some MPs appeared visibly emotional as they left the chamber after the assisted dying bill cleared the Commons.
Others lined up to shake hands with Kim Leadbeater, the bill’s sponsor through the Commons, with some, including Home Office minister Jess Phillips, stopping to hug the Spen Valley MP.
A group of campaigners who backed the bill, sat in one of the Commons upper galleries, were tearful after the vote result was announced.
Outside parliament, supporters of the assisted dying bill wept, jumped and hugged each other as the news came through that it had been passed by MPs.
The crowd of about 100 people in Parliament Square, Westminster, erupted into cheers on Friday afternoon as the news was livestreamed over a speaker by campaigners from Dignity In Dying.
One supporter said: “Yes, dad” and others patted each other on the shoulder.
“This is for all the people who couldn’t be here today. This vote sends a clear message. Parliament stands with the public and change is coming,” said Sarah Wootton, chief executive of Dignity in Dying.
Jenny Carruthers, 57, from Bath, who had retired from the NHS due to ill-health, said she felt emotional and relieved. Carruthers wiped tears from her eyes and hugged friends and fellow campaigners. She said: “This means that I can die holding my children’s hands.”
Updated
My colleague, Jessica Elgot, has written on the news that assisted dying is set to become law in England and Wales after the terminally ill adults (end of life) bill was passed by MPs on Friday.
You can read it here:
Speaking before the Commons vote, care minister Stephen Kinnock, said the government would “ensure the safe and effective implementation of” assisted dying, if the terminally ill adults (end of life) bill clears both Houses of Parliament.
Kinnock told the Commons:
Should it be the will of parliament for this legislation to pass, then the government will ensure the safe and effective implementation of this service.
Afterwards, MPs headed for the voting lobbies in a division, to decide whether the bill should clear the Commons and face further scrutiny in the House of Lords at a later date.
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch was also spotted in the Commons chamber as MPs gathered for the vote.
Updated
MPs vote to accept assisted dying bill
MPs have voted to accept the assisted dying bill, with 314 votes in favour to 291 against, a majority of 23.
The bill will now go to the House of Lords for further scrutiny.
Updated
Keir Starmer’s artificial intelligence tsar, a key figure in steering the government’s approach to artificial intelligence, is stepping down after six months in the role.
Matt Clifford, the author of the government’s AI opportunities action plan, said he would leave his post next month for personal reasons.
He described his work on drafting and implementing the 50-point plan as a “privilege”, adding he was “hugely optimistic about the UK’s potential to be an AI superpower”.
He said:
For family reasons, I will step back from my role as the prime minister’s adviser on AI opportunities at the end of July, but I’m delighted that this important work will continue across government.
A government spokesperson said Starmer had thanked Clifford, who was appointed in January, for his “dedicated work” on AI policy.
“We will be building on this work to bolster AI expertise across government and cement the UK’s position as a world leader in AI,” the spokesperson said.
Clifford came to prominence as a tech investor – he is the chair of the investment firm Entrepreneurs First – but was already established as an influential political adviser before Labour won the 2024 general election.
The 39-year-old played a crucial role in organising the global AI Safety summit, hosted by Rishi Sunak in 2023, and establishing the government’s AI Safety Institute, now called the AI Security Institute.
MPs voting on assisted dying bill as debate in Commons ends
MPs have divided to vote on the assisted dying bill.
Keir Starmer could be seen sitting on the government frontbenches in the
House of Commons as the assisted dying bill debate drew to a close.
If the bill is approved by the Commons today, it will go to the House of Lords for further scrutiny. If MPs do not support the bill, it will fail.
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Labour MP Chi Onwurah criticised the assumption that those who have been unequal in life will suddenly be equal in death.
She told the Commons:
This bill could change the founding principles of the NHS, clinicians are trained to save lives, now they will also be able to kill people.
Our police, our armed forces, their job is to protect life and liberty, now they will also protect those who take people’s lives, because this marks a fundamental change in the relationship between state and citizen.
It requires much more public and parliamentary debate, we have not even begun to interrogate all the social implications of this change. All of human life is here, it will change the ethos of the NHS, it will enable private companies to kill private citizens.
The MP for Newcastle upon Tyne Central and West added:
There seems to be an assumption that those who have been most unequal in life will suddenly be rendered equal in death, but the least valued by society are often those who value themselves the least.
British nationals who want to leave Israel to be offered flights to UK, says David Lammy
British nationals who want to leave Israel will be offered charter flights from Tel Aviv as soon as airspace reopens, the government has said.
With the conflict with Iran continuing, Whitehall officials have been working to organise escape routes for the thousands of British and dual nationals in Israel.
Those who are holidaymakers, on business trips, visiting relatives or are otherwise temporary residents are most likely to be prioritised, but the Foreign Office said flights would be provided based on demand and the safety of all British nationals was its top priority.
David Lammy, the foreign secretary, said:
The UK will provide charter flights for British nationals from Tel Aviv when airspace reopens. Register your presence to receive further guidance.
Government advice remains that British nationals should follow local guidance on movements within Israel and take decisions on whether to leave based on their individual circumstances.
Thousands of people currently in Israel or the occupied Palestinian territories are understood to have registered their presence with the Foreign Office, but the government has not moved to advise a general departure or relocation to Tel Aviv.
Many of those registered are thought to be dual British-Israeli nationals who may not seek UK consular assistance, but a smaller number of people have made active requests for support.
Airline staff being trained to bar people without visas from flights to UK
Thousands of European airline staff are being trained to stop people boarding flights to Britain without valid visas, in a move billed by the foreign secretary as a digital upgrade to border controls.
David Lammy said the measures marked a step towards “more secure, more digital and more effective” borders, but the move could raise questions about human rights safeguards.
More than 9,000 airline workers at carriers including Wizz Air, Jet2 and Lufthansa, have undertaken training to verify UK visa documents at departure gates in 39 countries, including those on major transit routes for irregular migration such as Greece, Malta, Italy and Albania.
The scheme, delivered by the Foreign Office, deputises airline workers as frontline immigration officers, blocking passengers from even attempting to travel without the correct paperwork.
The training is part of the broader rollout of the Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) and eVisa system, which requires travellers – including many EU citizens – to pre-register before entering the UK.
It represents a significant overhaul to UK border controls and is now being touted as a key aspect of Labour’s immigration crackdown.
Lammy said:
Tackling irregular migration demands cooperation across borders and industries to disrupt the pathways used by those attempting to enter the UK illegally. We’re sending a clear message – air travel simply isn’t an option without proper authorisation and registration.
The initiative could attract scrutiny from civil liberties groups that express concern over legitimate travellers, especially asylum seekers, and would outsource critical immigration decisions to private airline staff.
It comes as Labour seek to outflank Reform UK on border control and respond to what the party believes is public anxiety over uncontrolled immigration. Keir Starmer is seeking to maintain a hard rhetorical line, with returns and enforcement appearing to be central to his government’s approach.
Updated
Today’s assisted dying bill vote is on a knife-edge, writes Guardian columnist Polly Toynbee. MPs must take their chance to drive forward personal freedoms – and add to Labour’s legacy, she adds.
You can read her opinion piece here:
Assisted dying could represent “a huge shift in the relationship between the individual and the state”, Tom Tugendhat has warned.
The Conservative former minister told the Commons that the assisted dying bill “is about power and it’s about trust”. He said:
It’s about the power over life and death, not just over ourselves, because we already have the power to end our own lives, it’s called suicide. It is not a crime – it hasn’t been a crime in this country for decades.
This is a different power. This is about the power of the state through its agents to exercise power over life and death. Yes, agreed; yes, approved of in advance; but when the state takes a life, even with consent, that is a huge shift in the relationship between the individual and the state.
Tugendhat later said:
This isn’t assisted dying – assisted dying is what a hospice does already, today, now, helping people, caring for people, supporting them. This is assisted killing – or assisted suicide – depending on which word you choose.
But honesty in language is important. If we’re not even willing to be honest with ourselves in this place, how on earth can we expect the courts when they have to look at the cases to consider the questions that we’ve debated?
Turning to fears of coercion, he claimed MPs have said “that those who merely feel pressure are allowed to access this service”.
In response, Labour MP Kim Leadbeater held up a printed copy of her bill and some of her supporters shouted “no” and “it’s in the bill”.
Security review launched after break in to RAF Brize Norton
A security review has been launched across the defence estate after pro-Palestinian activists broke into an RAF base and sprayed two military planes with red paint, reports the PA news agency.
Footage posted online by Palestine Action on Friday morning shows two people inside RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire.
The clip shows one person riding an electric scooter up to an Airbus Voyager air-to-air refuelling tanker and appearing to spray paint into its jet engine.
The Ministry of Defence condemned the vandalism, while Keir Starmer said it was “disgraceful”.
Downing Street said security is being reviewed across the defence estate and that the government is working closely with police.
A No 10 spokesperson said:
A full security review is under way at Brize Norton. We are reviewing security across the whole defence estate.
We treat all breaches of security very seriously, and where there is suspected criminal activity, we will take the necessary steps to investigate and prosecute in line with longstanding principle.
He said the incident had not disrupted any planned aircraft movements or operations.
Many MPs have now addressed the House of Commons. Each of them have been asked to keep their speeches to five minutes.
A vote must be called before 2.30pm, as per parliamentary procedure, reports the PA news agency.
Updated
A Conservative backbencher indicated he had changed his voting position on the assisted dying bill since it was first introduced.
Mike Wood, the MP for Kingswinford and South Staffordshire, told the Commons:
I didn’t vote at second reading in November.
The member for Spen Valley [Kim Leadbeater] in her opening speech this morning said that we could choose to vote with our head or with our heart.
I am afraid it is that tension, that conflict, that I have been grappling with over the last few months.
He said his “sympathy of the principle of assisted dying was as strong as it ever was”, but later added he would be “voting against this afternoon” because he did not believe the bill offered enough safeguards.
Backing the proposal, Conservative MP Mark Garnier said “the time has come where we need to end suffering where suffering can be put aside, and not try to do something which is going to be super perfect and allow too many more people to suffer in the future”.
He told MPs that his mother died after a “huge amount of pain”, after a diagnosis in 2012 of pancreatic cancer.
Garnier, who is also a former minister, told the Commons he had watched “the start of the decline for something as painful and as difficult as pancreatic cancer” after his mother’s diagnosis.
He said:
My mother wasn’t frightened of dying at all.
My mother would talk about it and she knew that she was going to die, but she was terrified of the pain, and on many occasions she said to me and Caroline my wife, ‘can we make it end?’
And of course we couldn’t, but she had very, very good care from the NHS.
Garnier later added that he had attended the memorial service of one of his constituents years later who had also died of pancreatic cancer. He said:
But because she had been in Spain at the time – she spent quite a lot of time in Spain with her husband – she had the opportunity to go through the state-provided assisted dying programme that they do there.
And I spoke to her widower – very briefly, but I spoke to him - and he was fascinating about it. He said it was an extraordinary, incredibly sad thing to have gone through, but it was something that made her suffering much less.
He said he was “yet to be persuaded” that paving the way for assisted dying was “a bad thing to do”, and added: “The only way I can possibly end today is by going through the ‘aye’ lobby.”
If MPs back the bill at third reading, it will face further scrutiny in the House of Lords at a later date.
Downing Street declined to say whether UK prime minister Keir Starmer will attend the Commons debate on the assisted dying Bill, PA Media reports.
A Number 10 spokesperson said:
I’m not going to get ahead of proceedings in the house or speculate on the prime minister’s movements … the prime minister is working in Number 10, but as I say I’m not going to speculate on the PM’s movements today.
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Vicky Foxcroft says engagement with disabled people on bill has been 'negligible'
Disabled people want politicians to “assist them to live, not to die”, Labour’s Vicky Foxcroft told the Commons.
Speaking for the first time since her resignation as a government whip over welfare reforms, Foxcroft said:
I don’t claim that every disabled person opposes assisted dying, but I do claim that the vast majority of disabled people and their organisations oppose it.
They need the health and social care system fixing first. They want us as parliamentarians to assist them to live, not to die.
Disabled people’s voices matter in this debate, and yet, as I’ve watched the bill progress, the absence of disabled people’s voices has been astonishing. They have wanted to engage. Indeed, they have been crying out to be included, yet the engagement has been negligible.
Foxcroft, a former shadow disabilities minister, added:
We are not voting on principles today. This is real, and we have to protect those people who are susceptible to coercion, who already feel like society doesn’t value them, who often feel like a burden to the state, society and their family.
I urge anyone in this chamber who has any doubts that this bill doesn’t protect them, who has any worries and concerns, please don’t vote for it today.
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Prue Leith, who supports the bill, told the PA Media agency outside parliament she was both “nervous and confident” ahead of the vote, adding that she was “superstitious” on whether the bill would pass.
She added:
It’s so moving to see all these people with placards of people they’ve lost or people who are dying of cancer.
It’s hard not to cry because I think they have done such a good job, let’s hope we’ve won.
The chief executive of Care Not Killing called for MPs to reject the bill.
Speaking outside parliament, Gordon Macdonald said there were still “lots of problems” with the bill, PA Media reports.
He added:
As this is a private members’ bill, the MP in charge of the bill was able to choose who she wanted in the committee, choose who she wanted to give evidence and decide which amendments would be accepted and which wouldn’t, so I believe the whole process is completely flawed and I believe the Government needs to hold responsibility for this.
Keir Starmer should have taken responsibility for this.
We’re seeing more MPs who are voting against it which doesn’t surprise me as the more people think about this issue the more likely they are to support it.
Any amendments can be voted on at the committee stage of a bill, at the discretion of the whole committee.
The committee is made up of a list of people proposed by the bill’s sponsor, but ultimately decided upon by the committee of selection.
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Anorexia patients could still access assisted dying through a “loophole”, Labour MP Naz Shah has warned.
Shah said she had originally supported the assisted dying bill “in principle”, adding:
But this debate is no longer about the principle of assisted death – that is not the decision before us today, and nor is it the issue that we will be walking through those lobbies for when we are deciding to vote for or against this bill.
She cautioned that the assisted dying bill was “not safe”.
Referring to her amendment 14 to prevent a patient meeting the requirements for an assisted death “solely as a result of voluntarily stopping eating or drinking”, which MPs backed earlier on Friday, and a further amendment 38 which was not added to the bill, Shah told the House of Commons:
This is not the anorexia loophole that has been closed – that was another amendment.
When people stop voluntarily eating and drinking, that is not what happens to people with anorexia. People with anorexia stop eating and drinking because they have a psychiatric illness. These are two categorically different issues.
So I must make it clear, absolutely clear, even though amendment 14 has passed today, this amendment does not address concerns about anorexia or close that loophole.
Ending her speech, Shah told MPs:
The question for all members is simply this, ‘what is the margin of error when it comes to something as serious as death that we are willing to risk today?’
In Parliament Square, campaigners opposing the bill, wearing white T-shirts, appeared to outnumber those for the bill, wearing pink T-shirts, reports the PA news agency.
Campaigners against the bill chanted “We are not dead yet” and “Kill the Bill, not the ill”.
A display was erected with a gravestone reading “R.I.P: The terminally ill adults (end of life) bill. Bury it deep”, and behind were two mounds meant to resemble graves.
One campaigner against the bill could be seen being spoken to by police after shouting at an opposing activist, reports the PA news agency.
Diane Abbott urges MPs to reject the assisted dying bill
Diane Abbott said she was not opposed to the principle of assisted dying, but urged MPs to reject the bill for fear that “people will lose their lives who do not need to”.
The Labour MP said:
I came to this house to be a voice for the voiceless. It hasn’t always been favoured by my own leadership, but that is why I came to the house. Who could be more voiceless than somebody who is in their sickbed and believes they are dying?
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.
It is not because I am opposed to assisted dying in principle, but because my concern is for vulnerable and marginalised persons, vulnerable and marginalised communities, that I implore the house to reject this bill.
Summary of amendments to assisted dying bill voted for and against today:
Here is a roundup of the votes from this morning so far:
MPs have voted to reject an amendment which would have prevented a person who is substantially motivated by feeling they are a burden, from qualifying for assisted dying. Conservative MP Rebecca Paul’s new clause 16 stated that a wish to end one’s own life should not be substantially motivated by factors such as a mental disorder, disability or suicidal ideation. The Commons voted 208 to 261, majority 53 against.
A proposal to disapply the presumption that a person has capacity unless the opposite is established in cases of assisted dying requests, has been rejected by MPs. The Commons voted 213 to 266, majority 53 to reject amendment 24, which was tabled by Labour MP Daniel Francis.
MPs have agreed that ministers should get powers to update the National Health Service Act 2006 as part of the assisted dying bill, to include voluntary assisted dying services as part of the NHS’s purposes. Labour MP Siobhain McDonagh pushed her amendment 12 to a vote, which would have blocked ministers from broadening the NHS’s purposes without a fresh bill. But MPs rejected McDonagh’s proposal 269 votes to 223, majority 46.
A ban on advertising assisted dying would be extended to all of the UK, should the bill pass, MPs have agreed, as part of amendment 77. They also voted for the UK-wide extension of regulations about approved substances intended to be used to help terminally ill patients to die. They also approved an opt-out for medical professionals being extended to Scotland. MPs voted 275 in favour, 209 against, majority 66.
MPs have also supported a safeguard which would prevent a person meeting the requirements for an assisted death “solely as a result of voluntarily stopping eating or drinking”.
Ministers will have a year to report on how assisted dying could affect palliative care, if the assisted dying bill passes. MPs called “aye” to approve Liberal Democrat MP Munira Wilson’s amendment 21.
MPs voted in favour of the final amendment 94, which proposed to give the devolved Welsh government powers to set regulations for some aspects of the bill in Wales. MPs voted 274 in favour, 224 against, majority 50.
James Cleverly argues that assisted dying bill is not a 'now or never' decision
The assisted dying bill is not a “now or never” decision on assisted dying, James Cleverly said, as he argued there will be “plenty of opportunities” in future.
The Conservative former minister told the Commons:
We have got to recognise that this is an important moment, and whilst I respect [Kim Leadbeater], I disagree with her assessment that it is now or never, and it is this bill or no bill, and that to vote against this at third reading is a vote to maintain the status quo.
None of those things are true. There will be plenty of opportunities. And indeed, we are duty bound and, I think, stimulated by this debate – which is why I don’t criticise her for bringing it forward – stimulated by this debate to have a serious conversation about palliative care, a serious conversation about how we get to that.
James Cleverly said moments with his “dear friend” might have been “lost” if assisted dying was an option at the time of his death.
This came in response to an intervention from Labour MP Siobhain McDonagh, who spoke of her late sister, Margret McDonagh, former Labour party general secretary.
The Mitcham and Morden MP said:
On Tuesday, it is the second anniversary of my sister’s death. Three weeks prior to her death, we took her to hospital because she had a blood infection, and in spite of agreeing to allow her into intensive care to sort out that blood infection, the consultant decided that she shouldn’t go because she had a brain tumour and she was going to die.
She was going to die, but not at that moment. I’m sure Mr Speaker can understand that a very big row ensued. I won that row. She was made well, she came home and she died peacefully. What does [James Cleverly] think would happen in identical circumstances, if this bill existed?
Cleverly replied:
She asks me to speculate into a set of circumstances which are personal and painful, and I suspect she and I both know that the outcome could have been very, very different, and the moments that she had with her sister, just like the moments I had with my dear friend, those moments might have been lost.
James Cleverly has urged MPs not to “sub-contract” scrutiny of the assisted dying bill to peers.
At the bill’s third reading debate, Cleverly told MPs:
At the second reading debate, I made the point that we need to think about the detail of this bill and not just vote in accordance with the broad principles.
Referring to the future passage of this bill, if it clears the Commons, the Conservative former minister added:
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].
Updated
After Kim Leadbeater, James Cleverly spoke to the House of Commons.
Cleverly has said his view was driven by “concerns about the practicalities” of the terminally ill adults (end of life) bill.
The Conservative former minister told the Commons:
I have no doubt the vast majority – probably every single member and right honourable member in this house – is sympathetic with the underlying motivation of this bill, which is to ease suffering in others and to try and avoid suffering where possible.
Cleverly described himself as an atheist and added:
I’ve had this said to me on a number of occasions, ‘if you had seen someone suffering, you would agree with this bill’.
Well, Mr Speaker, I have seen someone suffering – my closest friend earlier this year died painfully of oesophageal cancer and I was with him in the final weeks of his life.
So I come at this not from a position of faith nor from a position of ignorance.
Starmer says 'act of vandalism' at RAF Brize Norton was 'disgraceful'
Prime minister Keir Starmer said the “act of vandalism” at RAF Brize Norton was “disgraceful”, after pro-Palestinian activists sprayed two military planes with red paint.
Palestine Action, a pro-Palestine protest group, released a short video on Friday morning showing two people driving electric scooters unimpeded inside the airbase at night, in what appears to be a significant and embarrassing breach of Ministry of Defence (MoD) security.
The prime minister said in a post on X:
The act of vandalism committed at RAF Brize Norton is disgraceful.
Our armed forces represent the very best of Britain and put their lives on the line for us every day.
It is our responsibility to support those who defend us.
The group said it had targeted RAF Voyager aircraft used for transport and refuelling, and that “activists have interrupted Britain’s direct participation in the commission of genocide and war crimes across the Middle East”.
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Kim 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”, reports the PA news agency.
The Labour MP added:
I fully appreciate that there are some colleagues who would never vote for any version of this bill due to their own fundamental beliefs – be they religious or otherwise – and I am respectful of their views, despite disagreeing, but to those colleagues who are supportive of a change in the law but are hesitant about if now is the time – if we don’t vote to change the law today – what does that mean?
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.
Leadbeater insisted groups like palliative care doctors, and hospices were “not homogenous” after taking interventions from several MPs who pointed out concerns from these groups.
Choosing not to support the assisted dying bill is 'not a neutral act', Leadbeater tells MPs
Choosing not to support the assisted dying bill is “not a neutral act”, Kim Leadbeater has told the Commons.
The Labour MP for Spen Valley said:
It is an either/or decision for us today – either we vote for the safe effective workable reform contained in this bill or we say the status quo is acceptable.
Over recent months I have heard hundreds of stories from people who have lost loved ones in deeply difficult and traumatic circumstances … along with many terminally ill people themselves.
She added:
Not supporting the bill today is not a neutral act, it is a vote for the status quo … and it fills me with despair to think MPs could be here in another 10 years’ time hearing the same stories.
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People have “different views” on assisted dying, Kim Leadbeater has said.
Intervening in her speech, Conservative former minister Simon Hoare asked:
What level of concern does it give her that since second reading and today, the growing canon of professionals and their independent professional bodies have urged great caution about this bill – not on the principle – but are opposed to the details of this bill and believe it should be defeated?
The Labour MP for Spen Valley who tabled the assisted dying bill replied:
I think what he’s saying is people have got different views, and they do have different views – we have different views in this house and different people in different professions have different views.
Every royal college has a neutral position on assisted dying.
Prior to Leadbeater speaking, MPs voted in favour of the final amendment 94, which proposed to give the devolved Welsh government powers to set regulations for some aspects of the bill in Wales.
MPs voted in favour, 274 to 224.
Kim Leadbeater says assisted dying bill will 'offer compassionate and safe choice to terminally ill people'
Labour MP Kim Leadbeater said the assisted dying bill will “offer a compassionate and safe choice to terminally ill people who want to make it”.
Speaking at third reading, the Spen Valley MP told the Commons:
I have been pleased to work with members on all sides of the debate to ensure that this legislation is something that parliament can be proud of.
A cogent, workable bill that has one simple thread running through it – the need to correct the profound injustices of the status quo and to offer a compassionate and safe choice to terminally ill people who want to make it.
I won’t go into the amendments in detail as I know that is not the purpose of this debate, but whether it’s adding further safeguards and protections for … patients through additional training around coercive control; or the addition of specialist expertise through the inclusion of multidisciplinary panels; widening the provision for professionals to opt-out of the assisted dying process; providing additional employment protections; or prohibiting the advertising of assisted dying – cross-party working has strengthened the bill.
Opening the debate, Leadbeater said it had been a “long journey” for the bill to get to this stage. She said death is a topic many people shy away from. She added that the bill is a '“bill this parliament can be proud of”.
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Esther Rantzen’s daughter, Rebecca Wilcox, who was outside parliament on Friday in support of the Dignity in Dying campaign, said she hoped the assisted dying bill would be passed and go on to the House of Lords, reports the PA news agency.
She said:
This is such an important time for this bill, the third and final vote, and then hopefully it will go on to the House of Lords.
It couldn’t be more entrenched with safeguards; it couldn’t be a kinder, more compassionate bill that respects choice at the end of life, that respects kindness and empathy and gives us all an option when every other option has been taken away.
It would be the perfect tool for a palliative care doctor to have in their med bag.
MPs agree that a ban on advertising assisted dying would be extended to all of UK, if bill passes
A ban on advertising assisted dying would be extended to all of the UK, should the bill pass, MPs have agreed.
They also voted for the UK-wide extension of regulations about approved substances intended to be used to help terminally ill patients to die.
They also approved an opt-out for medical professionals being extended to Scotland. MPs voted 275 in favour, 209 against, majority 66.
MPs have divided to vote on amendment 94 to the assisted dying bill.
Amendment 94 would give ministers in the Welsh government powers to set regualtions for some aspects of the bill relating to Wales.
The result is expected at 10.40am
Ministers have one year to report how assisted dying could affect palliative care, if bill passes
Ministers will have a year to report on how assisted dying could affect palliative care, if the assisted dying bill passes.
MPs called “aye” to approve Liberal Democrat MP Munira Wilson’s amendment 21.
Ministers would have to consider the state of health services for patients near the end of their lives, covering pain and symptom management, psychological support and access to information.
Updated
MPs agree ministers need new powers to include assisted dying in NHS's purposes
MPs have agreed that ministers should get powers to update the National Health Service Act 2006 as part of the assisted dying bill, to include voluntary assisted dying services as part of the NHS’s purposes.
Amid fears the bill could become “the Trojan horse that breaks the NHS”, aired last Friday, Labour MP Siobhain McDonagh pushed her amendment 12 to a vote, which would have blocked ministers from broadening the NHS’s purposes without a fresh bill.
But MPs rejected McDonagh’s proposal 269 votes to 223, majority 46.
Updated
MPs have divided to vote on amendment 77 to the assisted dying bill.
Amendment 77 would expand the provisions of the bill relating to the regulation of approved substances and a ban on advertising to cover the whole of the UK and extend other legal protections to England, Wales and Scotland.
Updated
MPs have now divided to vote on amendment 12 to the assisted dying bill. Amendment 12 would prevent section 1 of the National Health Service Act 2006, which sets out the purpose of the NHS, from being amended by regulations and so would need any changes to be made by an act of parliament.
MPs reject proposal concerning presumption of capacity
A proposal to disapply the presumption that a person has capacity unless the opposite is established in cases of assisted dying requests, has been rejected by MPs.
The Commons voted 213 to 266, majority 53 to reject amendment 24, which was tabled by Labour MP Daniel Francis (Bexleyheath and Crayford).
Updated
MPs support safeguard for those who voluntarily stop eating or drinking
MPs have supported a safeguard which would prevent a person meeting the requirements for an assisted death “solely as a result of voluntarily stopping eating or drinking”.
The terminally ill adults (end of life) bill’s sponsor Labour MP Kim Leadbeater had previously signalled her support for the amendment, which was tabled by Labour MP Naz Shah (Bradford West).
Leadbeater said this, combined with existing safeguards in the bill, would rule out people with anorexia falling into its scope. The amendment was passed on the nod.
Updated
MPs have now divided to vote on amendment 24 to the bill. Amendment 24 would remove the presumption that an individual applying under the act would have mental capacity under the Mental Capacity Act 2005 unless proven otherwise.
The result is expected at 10.05am.
Updated
Here are some photos coming to us through the wires from outside parliament of campaigners appealing for or against assisted dying:
Updated
MPs vote to reject amendment on 'being a burden'
MPs have voted to reject an amendment which would have prevented a person who is substantially motivated by feeling they are a burden, from qualifying for assisted dying.
Conservative MP Rebecca Paul’s new clause 16 stated that a wish to end one’s own life should not be substantially motivated by factors such as a mental disorder, disability or suicidal ideation.
The Commons voted 208 to 261, majority 53 against.
Updated
Assisted dying bill debate begins in House of Commons
MPs have gathered in the House of Commons for the third reading of the assisted dying bill. If approved, it will then go to the House of Lords.
There will also be four votes in the Commons on changes within the bill since it was last put to MPs in November.
MPs have now divided to vote on new clause 16 to the terminally ill adults (end of life) bill. We will bring updates from the debate today as it progresses.
New clause 16 would add a list of factors, such as not wishing to be a burden on others or a disability, that would mean a person wishing to end their life would not qualify for assistance under the law if that was their substantial motivation.
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St Christopher’s hospice have shared a statement ahead of the assisted dying bill’s third reading and vote in the House of Commons.
Jan Noble, interim chief executive of St Christopher’s said:
The terminally ill adults (end of life) bill has huge implications for hospices, our staff, volunteers and patients, as well as the health system and society more broadly. But there are still many unanswered questions around how a future assisted dying service would work.
Given this lack of clarity we welcome the introduction of new clause 20, which would require the government to consult with palliative and end of life care providers if the bill progresses. It is vital that the access of palliative and end of life care for everyone is increased, and for that we need a better funding model for hospices.
In line with this, we encourage MPs to vote for amendment 21 which would require an assessment of the availability, quality and distribution of palliative and end of life care.
St Christopher’s remains neutral on any change in the law and our absolute priority continues to be making sure that everyone who needs it can access equitable palliative care and support, wherever they are and whenever that may be.
The Scottish government aims to make £1bn of savings with a public service reform strategy that aims to reduce the spend of public bodies by 20% over the next five years.
Ivan McKee told BBC Radio Scotland this morning was looking “across the gamut” of 131 public bodies and 51 directorates for savings, and reduction of duplication.
While McKee refused to specify how many redundancies were likely he said there was wide agreement that government needed more integration and joined up services, more digital technology and more investment in prevention, but pointed out that core government departments had successfully reduced head count by not hiring people to replace those who had left.
But the Scottish Trades Union Congress (STUC) criticised the strategy as “missing the mark”, describing the strategy as cuts packaged as reform, while Scottish Labour dismissed the strategy as “a plan for a plan”.
Daniel Johnson, Scottish Labour’s finance spokesperson, added:
Reform, to my mind, is not about shrinking the state, but maximising its effectiveness and you cannot ignore the fact that over the past decade, the civil service has grown at three times the rate of the NHS, while police, fire and colleges’ headcounts have all fallen.
The Guardian’s social affairs correspondent, Jessica Murray, spoke to supporters and opponents of the assisted dying bill on their hopes and fears ahead of Friday’s crucial vote. You can read the piece here:
UK ‘behind curve’ on assisted dying among progressive nations, says Kim Leadbeater
The UK is “behind the curve” among progressive nations, the assisted dying bill’s sponsor, Kim Leadbeater, has said on the eve of one of the most consequential votes for social change in England and Wales.
The Labour MP said the circumstances may never be right again to pass such a bill, which would legalise assisted dying in England and Wales for terminally ill people with less than six months to live, subject to approval by two doctors and a panel of experts.
Her intervention came amid more warnings about the safeguards in the bill, including from the Royal College of Psychiatrists and disability activists, who will protest outside parliament on Friday at the final vote in the Commons.
Opponents believe the bill will not offer sufficient protection to those with mental illness or disability or those who might be coerced by abusers. On Thursday, another leading Labour MP, Dan Carden, said he would vote against the bill and the Conservative leader, Kemi Badenoch, urged her MPs to oppose it.
Keir Starmer has reiterated his own support for the bill, but on Thursday night there was no firm commitment from No 10 that the prime minister would be present to vote.
“We are behind the curve,” Leadbeater said. “We’ve got the law going through the Isle of Man. We’ve got Jersey. We’ve got France. We’ve got various American states, Colorado recently.
Other countries are looking at us and saying, goodness me, why are you not doing what is essentially the right thing to do? And if we don’t do it now, we could be looking at another 10 years. We cannot put families through another 10 years of that.
UK government borrowing increased to £17.7bn last month, says ONS
UK government borrowing rose to £17.7bn last month, marking the second highest for May on record, according to official figures.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said May borrowing was £700m higher than a year earlier, though it was slightly less than the £18bn most economists had been expecting. Borrowing for the first two months of the financial year to date stood at £37.7bn, £1.6bn more than the same two-month period in 2024.
Rob Doody, deputy director for public sector finances, said:
Last month saw the public sector borrow £0.7bn more than at the same time last year, with only 2020, affected as it was by Covid-19, seeing higher May borrowing in the time since monthly records began.
While receipts were up, thanks partly to higher income tax revenue and national insurance contributions, spending was up more, affected by increased running costs and inflation-linked uplifts to many benefits.
Reacting to the announcement, Darren Jones, chief secretary to the Treasury, said:
Since taking office, we have taken the right decisions to protect working people, begin repairing the NHS, and fix the foundations to rebuild Britain.
We stabilised the economy and the public finances; now we need to ensure that the British economy delivers for working people.
Last week’s spending review showed how we are investing in the UK’s security, health, and the economy through our plan for change, so that people are better off.
Updated
Lisa Nandy denies major rebellion brewing over government's welfare reform plans
A major rebellion is not brewing over the government’s welfare reform plans, Lisa Nandy said on Friday.
Asked by BBC Breakfast if she was detecting signs of a large rebellion, the culture secretary replied:
I’m not. It would be wrong to say that when you bring forward big reforms, there aren’t concerns and there aren’t dissenting voices, of course there are.
But Vicky [Foxcroft] is the only frontbencher that I’ve had a conversation with about resigning.
Asked how many backbench Labour MPs had approached her with worries about the plans, Nandy said:
A handful have expressed concerns about the detail, and I’m really confident that we’ve listened and we’ve put forward a package that is absolutely right.
In a seperate interview with Times Radio, Nandy said Vicky Foxcroft “did the honourable thing” by resigning over the government’s planned welfare cuts.
Asked about the resignation of Foxcroft, Nandy replied:
I know Vicky very well, and she is the only frontbencher that I’ve had any discussions with about her resigning.
I know that she really wrestled with the decision, and there’s no disagreement between us on the principle of wanting to help people who can work to get work, and protecting those who can’t ever work, and making sure that we reform the system so that it works for everybody.
No disagreement on the principle, but there is a disagreement on the practicalities and on the policy, and I think she’s done the honourable thing.
If you can’t stick with collective responsibility in government, you have to resign.
She’s done the honourable thing. It will enable her to have a voice, and she – as the former shadow disabilities minister – is very keen to use it.
But I think most Labour MPs, including her, agree with the principle of the reforms that we’re making.
Updated
Lisa Nandy said she hopes to see the assisted dying bill clear the House of Commons on Friday and continue its progress to becoming law, reports the PA news agency.
The culture secretary was asked by Sky News if she had changed her mind about supporting the bill, after a group of Labour MPs announced they would now be voting against after previously offering support.
“I’m still a supporter of this bill. I’ve had a longstanding personal commitment to change the law on assisted dying with appropriate safeguards. And I think there has been a very considered and respectful debate over the last few months on all sides,” Nandy told the broadcaster.
The cabinet minister said she respected “the views of colleagues who take a different view”, adding:
I hope the bill succeeds today. If it does pass the House of Commons stages, of course it will go on to the House of Lords, where there will be more debate and there may be more changes.
But I have believed as an individual – not as a government because we don’t take a view – but as an individual for a long time, that the law needs to change and I continue to hold that position.
The relatively narrow majority of 55 from the historic yes vote in November means every vote will count on Friday.
As an example, the assisted dying bill would fall if 28 MPs switched directly from voting yes to no, but only if all other MPs voted exactly the same way as they did in November, including those who abstained, reports the PA news agency.
MPs are entitled to have a free vote on the bill, meaning they decide according to their conscience rather than along party lines.
The debate in the Commons is scheduled to start at 9.30am, with the vote expected in the mid-afternoon.
A YouGov poll of 2,003 adults in Great Britain, surveyed last month and published on Thursday, suggested public support for the bill remains high at 73% – unchanged from November.
The proportion of people who feel assisted dying should be legal in principle has risen slightly, to 75% from 73% in November.
Updated
MPs prepare for crunch vote on assisted dying bill on Friday
Assisted dying could move a step closer to becoming law in England and Wales as parliament prepares for a crunch vote on the issue.
The outcome on Friday could see the terminally ill adults (end of life) bill either clear the House of Commons and move to the House of Lords, or fall completely. The debate will begin at 9.30am.
In what will be seen as a blow to the bill, four Labour MPs confirmed on the eve of the vote that they will switch sides to oppose the proposed new law, reports the PA news agency.
Labour’s Paul Foster, Jonathan Hinder, Markus Campbell-Savours and Kanishka Narayan wrote to fellow MPs to voice concerns about the safety of the proposed legislation. They called it “drastically weakened”, citing the scrapping of the high court judge safeguard as a key reason.
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch also urged her MPs to vote against the legislation, describing it as “a bad bill” despite being “previously supportive of assisted suicide”.
As it stands, the proposed legislation would allow terminally ill adults in England and Wales, with fewer than six months to live, to apply for an assisted death, subject to approval by two doctors and a panel featuring a social worker, senior legal figure and psychiatrist.
Bill sponsor Kim Leadbeater has insisted the replacement of high court judge approval with the multidisciplinary panels is a strengthening of the legislation, incorporating wider expert knowledge to assess assisted dying applications.
Ahead of confirmation of the four vote-switchers, Leadbeater acknowledged she expected “some small movement in the middle” but that she did not “anticipate that that majority would be heavily eroded”.
She insisted her bill is “the most robust piece of legislation in the world” and has argued dying people must be given choice at the end of their lives in a conversation which has seen support from high-profile figures including Esther Rantzen.
Leadbeater has warned it could be a decade before assisted dying legislation returns to parliament if MPs vote to reject her bill on Friday.
Meanwhile, culture secretary Lisa Nandy has been on the media rounds this morning talking about this topic and sharing her support for the bill. More on this in a moment, but first here is a summary of the latest UK politics news:
Higher tax receipts were unable to prevent a rise in public sector borrowing in May to £17.7bn, up from £17bn a year earlier and the second highest for the month on record. A poll of City economists had forecast public sector net borrowing – the difference between public spending and income – would be £17.1bn. The figures will add to the concerns that the government is struggling to bring down the annual deficit to keep within strict spending rules.
Thousands of European airline staff are being trained to stop people boarding flights to Britain without valid visas, in a move billed by the foreign secretary as a digital upgrade to border controls. David Lammy said the measures marked a step towards “more secure, more digital and more effective” borders, but the move could raise questions about human rights safeguards.
Cuts of £5bn to the UK overseas aid budget cannot be challenged in the courts, government lawyers have said, even though ministers have no plan to return spending to the legal commitment of 0.7 % of UK gross national income (GNI).
The Labour MP Vicky Foxcroft has resigned as a whip in protest at the government’s welfare plans, saying she will not be able to vote for the cuts to disability payments.
Children in England face prolonged “lost learning” caused by extreme heat and flooding at school, according to research on the potential impact of the climate crisis on education. School leaders and teachers said the scenarios published by the Department for Education made for grim reading and urged ministers to move quickly to improve school resilience.
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