Assisted dying bill to be presented to Parliament this month, with MPs to get free vote

A bill proposing to give terminally ill people in England and Wales the right to end their own life will be introduced to Parliament later this month.

Labour MP for Spen Valley Kim Leadbeater will present a bill on assisted dying after topping the private members’ bill ballot in September.

In an op-ed for The Guardian, she said “it’s time for Parliament to debate these issues fully, openly and respectfully”.

Leadbeater wrote: “I have thought long and hard about these issues which I know are hugely emotive for many people. The truth is that we have never been very comfortable discussing death in this country. But I am sure we all want the best for our relatives and those we care for as they come to the end of their lives.

“The evidence from those places around the world that already have legislation of the kind I am proposing is that patients draw enormous comfort from simply knowing they have the right to choose how and when to end their lives, even if they eventually decide not to exercise it.”

READ MORE: Assisted dying: ‘The law’s a mess MPs can’t ignore’

MPs will get a free vote on the matter when it is debated in the Commons, with outgoing cabinet secretary Simon Case confirming that Prime Minister Keir Starmer has “decided to set aside collective responsibility on the merits of this bill and any others covering the same subject matter”.

In a letter to all government ministers, Case said: “The government will therefore remain neutral on the passage of the bill and on the matter of assisted dying. At the despatch box, ministers should reiterate that this is a question for Parliament, on which the official government position is to remain neutral.”

READ MORE: ‘Backing assisted suicide isn’t left-wing. Blair and Corbyn alike opposed it’

The last parliamentary vote on assisted dying was in September 2015, with 118 MPs voting in favour and 330 against.

Of the members of the cabinet who voted during the debate, 11 backed the bill calling for assisted dying while four voted against.

The 11 who voted in favour included Keir Starmer, Wes Streeting, Liz Kendall, Louise Haigh, Hilary Benn, Ed Miliband and Peter Kyle. The four who voted against were Angela Rayner, David Lammy, Shabana Mahmood and Jonathan Reynolds.

A total of 15 Labour MPs were drawn in the private members’ bill ballot last month, which gives them the chance to present a bill to Parliament.

MP for Rother Valley Jake Richards had initially signalled that he would present a bill on assisted dying after being drawn in the ballot.

Following the news about Leadbeater’s bill, Richards said on social media: “The time for reform in this areas has come and I’m looking forward to working with Kim and many others to make the case.”

The bill is expected to be presented to Parliament on October 16.

Recap on all of the news and debate from party conference 2024 by LabourList here.

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