MPs Prepare for Crunch Vote on Assisted Dying Bill as Public Support Remains High

Strategic Insights -

Parliamentary debates often hinge on a razor-thin margin, and the current bill on assisted dying in England and Wales is no exception. With a relatively narrow majority of 55 in favor of the bill from the historic yes vote in November, every vote will count on Friday. The bill, which would allow terminally ill adults with fewer than six months to live to apply for an assisted death, has garnered significant public support, with a YouGov poll of 2,003 adults in Great Britain showing 73% in favor, unchanged from November. However, four Labour MPs have switched sides to oppose the bill, citing concerns about its safety.

Key Takeaways:

  • The proposed legislation would require two doctors and a multidisciplinary panel to approve assisted dying applications.
  • The bill's sponsor, Kim Leadbeater, has insisted that the replacement of high court judge approval with the multidisciplinary panels is a strengthening of the legislation.
  • The number of people who feel assisted dying should be legal in principle has risen to 75% from 73% in November.
  • Four Labour MPs, including Paul Foster and Jonathan Hinder, have switched sides to oppose the bill, citing its "safety" as a concern.
  • Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has urged her MPs to vote against the legislation, describing it as "a bad bill".
  • Bill sponsor Kim Leadbeater warned that it could be a decade before assisted dying legislation returns to parliament if MPs vote to reject her bill.
  • Culture secretary Lisa Nandy has expressed her support for the bill.
  • Thousands of European airline staff will be 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.

Statistics:

  • The bill requires a majority of 55 in favor to pass.
  • 73% of people in Great Britain support assisted dying, according to a YouGov poll of 2,003 adults.
  • The number of people who feel assisted dying should be legal in principle has risen to 75% from 73% in November.
  • £17.7bn is the public sector borrowing figure for May, up from £17bn a year earlier.
  • £5bn is the cut to the UK overseas aid budget.

Sources:

  • PA news agency
  • YouGov (www.yougov.com)
  • Office for National Statistics (ONS) (www.ons.gov.uk)
  • Department for Education (www.gov.uk)
  • BBC (www.bbc.co.uk)
  • The Guardian (www.theguardian.com)