UK government faces crucial vote on life-ending choices next week
British MPs prepare for a free vote on assisted dying legislation that could change end-of-life rules. The bill proposes strict conditions for terminally ill patients who want to make their final choice
Sir Keir Starmer confirmed his plan to vote on the up-coming assisted dying bill‚ while keeping the governmentʼs non-aligned position intact (which differs from Health Secretary Wes Streetingʼs anti-legislation stance)
The PM spoke about this sensitive topic while flying to the G20: its important to keep this as a free vote because its not about party lines but personal views. He mentioned that he wont push anyone towards any specific choice
The Government is neutral and itʼs a free vote‚ and itʼs very important that it remains a free vote because people feel very strongly about this
Labour backbencher Kim Leadbeater put forward a bill that would let terminal patients with less than 6 months to live end their life - but they need approval from:
- Two separate doctors
- A High-Court judge
The cabinet shows a clear split on this matter: Liz Kendall‚ Lisa Nandy‚ and Peter Kyle support the change‚ while Angela Rayner‚ Shabana Mahmood‚ and others dont agree
Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson - who voted against similar rules back in 2015 - expressed doubts about safety measures: she thinks theres not enough protection against possible pressure on patients. Among Labour MPs‚ 48 plan to vote yes and 21 will say no to this ground-breaking proposal
