MPs vote to legalise assisted dying after five-hour House of Commons debate

After weeks of passionate and emotive debate, MPs today voted to legalise assisted dying.

There were five hours of debate in the House of Commons before the vote to approve MP Kim Leadbeater's Private Member's Bill on the issue at its second reading by 330 votes to 275. It will now proceed to be examined by parliamentary committees.

Ahead of the vote, many North East MPs revealed how carefully they had considered the issue - and shared letters to their constituents laying out the reasoning which justified their decisions. Others joined in the long debate in the House of Commons.

North East representatives were split - like their colleagues around the country. Their political parties made the issue a free vote, for MPs to decide based on solely their own consciences.

Intervening in the debate, Labour MP for Sunderland Central Lewis Atkinson highlighted that he felt the bill would improve protection for those suffering coercion and control. It is a fear raised in the debate that vulnerable people could be coerced into assisted death.

Among the North East MPs to publish their thoughts ahead of the vote, some - such as Chi Onwurah, Mary Foy and Liz Twist - said they were to vote against. Others, such as Joe Morris and Lewis Atkinson indicated they would vote in favour.

In her arguments for voting against, Chi said in a letter to constituents: "My mother was an active member of the Voluntary Euthanasia Society, now called Dignity in Dying, in the 1980s. She was disabled and often in significant pain.

"I respected her desire to have the right to end her life as she chose I assumed that when the matter came before Parliament, I would support assisted dying, but I also knew I owed it to myself and my constituents to consider the matter thoroughly before deciding. When the Bill was published two weeks ago, I read it and since then I have read and researched what others have said as well as asking for views from my constituents. Communities I will be voting against the Bill for three main reasons."

She explained that these were that the Bill itself was flawed and the safeguards in place were not enough, that there has not yet been "sufficient public and parliamentary debate", and that such a law change should not be made through a Private Member's Bill.

Others like Mary Kelly Foy shared the sense that the issue was being "rushed". She wrote to her own constituents: "Clearly, there are strong arguments in favour of assisted dying, and I am grateful to those who have shared their personal views. I also empathise. I have been with elderly loved ones who were in pain.

"And from the start, I approached the Bill with an open mind, carefully considering all the arguments and views; after all, this is not a black-and-white issue. However, the process of the Bill worried me, and I believe it is being rushed through Parliament."

On the other hand, Joe Morris, MP for Hexham, said he would be voting in favour and that: "It has always been my view that people should have control over their own bodies and a choice in how long they are willing to live in pain. This bill is about exactly that, offering choice and providing dignity for those whom palliative care can no longer meet the needs of

"After careful consideration, I believe that this bill has significant safeguards in place to ensure that assisted dying is only an option for terminally ill adults with six months or less to live.

"This vote is not a choice between palliative care and assisted dying - it is about implementing compassionate policy that gives back control to those living with terminal illness, allowing them to choose."

Pro-change campaigners said the vote in favour of assisted dying will leave thousands of people “heartened”. Trevor Moore, chairman of My Death, My Decision said: “Thousands of people will be heartened by this result. Every day, 20 people in the UK are suffering unbearable pain at the end of their lives despite receiving the best possible care. For them, the choices are stark and harrowing: travel to Switzerland, and end their life by suicide, stop eating or drinking, or face and agonising natural death.

“These people deserve better. They deserve the dignity of choice at the end of their lives, and we are relieved to see MPs acknowledge this.

“We are glad that MPs listened to the public and the evidence, and we hope this Bill will pass its subsequent stages through further respectful and essential debate."

Dame Esther Rantzen, who is terminally ill and has argued strongly for a change in the law, said she was “absolutely thrilled” with the result of the vote.

She told the PA news agency: “I listened to the debate and it was very deeply felt. Members of Parliament, whether they opposed it or proposed it, had obviously given it a great deal of thought, and right up to the end of the debate, I had no idea whether it would be voted through or not. So I’m absolutely thrilled with the results.”