MPs have today (Friday 29th November) backed proposals to legalise assisted dying in England and Wales, which paves the way for a historic change in the law.
In the North West, Granada News has reported that 35 of the region’s 72 MPs voted for the bill, while 30 voted against while seven did not cast their ballot. Fylde MP Andrew Snowden and Blackpool South MP Chris Webb backed the bill.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer was also among those to vote in favour, along with the majority of the Labour Cabinet. Former PM Rishi Sunak was one of only 23 Tories, including Andrew Snowden, to do so.
Whilst fifteen Cabinet members, including Chancellor Rachel Reeves and Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, voted for the bill, eight Cabinet members voted against the Bill, including Health Secretary Wes Streeting and Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner.
It is important to note that the result does not mean the Bill will become law yet. There are several more stages of scrutiny that the Bill will have to go through first in both the House of Commons and House of Lords, meaning any change in the law would not be agreed until next year at the earliest. After that it is predicted that it would likely be a further two years from then for an assisted dying service to be in place – if it passes through all stages.
