MPs vote against assisted dying bill in narrow Commons vote

MPs have narrowly voted against assisted dying in a close vote in the House of Commons.

286 MPs voted against the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, with 270 voting in favour – a majority of 16.

The result compares with last year’s third reading of Kim Leadbeater’s version of the bill, where MPs supported the bill by 314 votes to 291, a majority of 23.

Among Labour MPs, 190 voted in favour of the bill, down 44 from last year’s vote. Some 153 Labour MPs voted against, six more than in 2025.

• 37 MPs who voted for the bill in 2025 abstained or were absent from today’s vote
• Four MPs who voted for the bill in 2025 voted against
• Six MPs who were absent or abstained in 2025 voted in favour
• Two MPs who were absent or abstained in 2025 voted against
• 13 MPs who voted against the bill in 2025 abstained or were absent from today’s vote

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Lauren Edwards, who re-introduced the bill to Parliament, said: “This is a hugely disappointing result – not for me but for the many thousands of terminally ill people and their loved ones who were given hope when the Commons voted for this bill last year.

“It is all the more heartbreaking for them because support for choice at the end of life is still as strong in Parliament as it was before. The objections raised today were not about the principle of assisted dying but about parliamentary process.

“The public, who strongly support a change in the law, will not understand why that couldn’t happen because a minority in the House of Lords used procedural devices to block it and MPs baulked at insisting that they do their job.

“Assisted dying will come in this country, as it is already doing all across the world, but not soon enough. Parliament has dropped the ball today. It will be picked up again as it must be, because the law as it stands is simply too cruel and too unjust to be allowed to stand.”

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A spokesperson for the Assist Us to Live campaign, which was opposed to assisted dying, said: “Today’s vote is a victory for disabled people, terminally ill people, and everyone this Bill would have put at risk.

“As disabled people, we fight every day just to get support to eat, wash, leave our homes, and work, while palliative and social care systems remain dangerously underfunded.

“We thank MPs for assisting us to live, and we’re ready to work with government to deliver the reforms we’ve been demanding.”

More to follow.

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