Assisted dying bill - latest: Esther Rantzen reacts to ‘extraordinary’ vote as MPs back historic legislation

Ross Hendry, chief executive of Christian Action Research and Education (CARE), said: “Today’s vote is deeply troubling, particularly for vulnerable and marginalised people in England and Wales who are fearful of a change in the law.

“Legalising assisted suicide would diminish the value we ascribe to human life in our legislation and our institutions and create a two-tier society where suicide prevention doesn’t extend to all people. This would be a moral failure, and a huge step backwards.

“As with other assisted suicide Bills in the past, there are no safeguards in this Bill that will rule out coercion of vulnerable people, and people ending their lives because they feel like a burden or lack proper support. There is no such thing as a ‘safe’ assisted suicide law.

“Parliament does have a responsibility to build better support for those who are dying but not through this dangerous Bill. We need a national conversation on how we ensure excellent, universally accessible end-of-life and palliative care, and stronger support for marginalised groups.

“We would urge parliamentarians to focus on this positive endeavour, and dismiss the dangerous, and disproven campaign for assisted suicide.”

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 said: “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.”

Prime minister Sir Keir Starmer voted in favour of the assisted dying legislation, parliamentary voting data has shown.

He previously refused to reveal his position as he did not want to pressure other MPs.

“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.”

Welcoming the passage of the bill, Humanists chief executive Andrew Copson said it was a "historic first step" toward people having choice, dignity, and compassion at the end of their lives.

He added: "As the Bill goes through further stages and detail is debated, detailed questions of eligibility, process, and safeguards obviously remain on the table, but this is a historic Bill which would give many suffering people the choice and dignity they desire and deserve.

"The fact of the matter is that assisted dying is already happening in this country. Some are travelling to Switzerland, if they have the money and mobility to do so. Others are dying in traumatic circumstances by suicide, assisted or otherwise. Many more are suffering greatly, even while receiving the best possible care. This vote shows that MPs see the need to introduce real safeguards to our law where there are currently none."

MPs have voted in favour of the assisted dying bill following a fierce commons debate.

The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill received 330 ayes and 275 noes.

In a sign of the level of feeling on the divisive issue, more than 160 MPs made bids to speak during Friday’s Commons debate – the first on the issue in almost a decade.

The bill will now go to committee stage where MPs can table amendments, before facing further scrutiny and votes in both the House of Commons and the House of Lords, meaning any change in the law would not be agreed until next year at the earliest.

The law would allow terminally ill adults in England and Wales with less than six months to live to end their lives, subject to the approval of two doctors and a High Court judge.

MPs have begun voting on whether or not to give the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill a second reading.

Conservative former cabinet minister Robert Jenrick said the legal and judicial safeguards in the assisted dying Bill were “grossly inadequate” and suggested any legislation approved by Parliament could change as a result of decisions by “activist judges” at the European Court of Human Rights.

He told MPs: “Bad law on trivial things is bad enough, and I’ve seen a lot of that in my time in this House, but bad law on matters of life and death is unforgivable.”

Mr Jenrick added: “Let’s think about the role of judges. The test which is to be applied is a low one, it’s the civil law threshold, this is a balance of probabilities. This means a judge could see real risk of coercion and still sign-off this individual for assisted death; if the threshold was not reached of 50% or more, the judge would sign-off the individual.”

The Newark MP, speaking from the backbenches but who also serves as shadow justice secretary, said: “I worry, in fact I am as certain as night follows day, this law if passed will change. Not as a result of the individuals in this chamber or in the Lords, but as a result of judges in other places.

“We’ve seen that time and again. It may be on either side of the debate but it will happen. This Act, if passed, will be subject to activist judges in Strasbourg. They will change it fundamentally and we have to be prepared for that. I don’t want to see that happen.”

Conservative MP Alicia Kearns has said it is “wrong” not to give those with six months to live a choice, as she spoke about her mother’s experience of cancer.

The West Rutland MP told the Commons: “Imagine a situation where you have cancer that day by day is breaking every individual vertebrae on your body, one by one. There is nothing that can take away the pain, and that is a situation in which my mother lost her life, her last words were ‘I cannot go on like this’.

“And thankfully for her, there were only a few more days of pain. But for others, there are months, and before they get to that six months, they will have suffered from years of excruciating agony that palliative care cannot resolve.”

“To deny choice to others, especially those with only six months to live, where their personal choice does no harm, is wrong,” she added.

Downing Street declined to say how Sir Keir Starmer will vote on assisted dying legislation but said he is paying close attention to the debate in the Commons.

“He’s obviously paying extremely close attention to the debate. Ministers must be able to vote according to their conscience,” the Prime Minister’s deputy spokesman said.

He added: “People across the country will be paying extremely close attention to today’s vote, but this is a matter of conscience.

“It is for Parliament to decide changes to the law, and the Prime Minister is on record as saying he’s not going to say or do anything that will put pressure on other people in relation to their vote.

“Every MP will have to make his or her mind up and decide what they want to do when that vote comes.”