Yorkshire MPs change stance last minute ahead of historic vote on assisted dying law

This would allow terminally-ill adults, with less than six months to live, to be able to seek an assisted death with the approval of two doctors and an expert panel.

The bill has the support of the public, according to YouGov, with more than seven in 10 Britons supporting Ms Leadbeater’s proposals.

However, opponents have warned it fails to guarantee protections for society’s most vulnerable, with more than 100 Yorkshire doctors writing in The Yorkshire Post that the lack of high-quality palliative care could push people towards seeking an assisted death.

Yesterday, Ms Leadbeater was joined by bereaved and terminally ill people on the eve of the vote, as they recounted the emotional toll the current law has had on them and their loved ones and pleaded for change.

She said: “We have the most robust piece of legislation in the world in front of us, and I know that many colleagues have engaged very closely with the legislation and will make their decision based on those facts and that evidence, and that cannot be disputed.

“But we need to do something, and we need to do it quickly.”

Harrogate and Knaresborough MP Tom Gordon has been one of Ms Leadbeater’s key supporters in trying to get the legislation through the Commons.

Speaking ahead of the historic vote, Mr Gordon told The Yorkshire Post: “For me, it’s about giving people that choice at the end of their life.

“It’s about acknowledging and recognising that even with the advances in medicine and palliative care, some people end up in a situation where they feel they don’t want to go through that period and lose that dignity.

“We are talking about a relatively small number of people, this is not going to be something that is widely or readily available.”

Today will be the first time the bill has been debated and voted on in its entirety since last year’s historic yes vote, when MPs supported the principle of assisted dying for England and Wales by a majority of 55.

MPs are entitled to have a free vote on the bill, meaning they decide according to their conscience rather than along party lines.

The relatively narrow majority means every vote will count to secure the Bill’s passage to the House of Lords for further debate and voting.

Ms Leadbeater acknowledged there could be some change in the numbers, but insisted she is still confident the Bill will pass the third reading stage and move through to the Lords.

She said: “There might be some small movement in the middle, some people might maybe change their mind one way, others will change their mind the other way but fundamentally I don’t anticipate that that majority would be heavily eroded so I do feel confident we can get through tomorrow successfully.”

Both Bridlington and The Wolds MP Charlie Dewhirst and Calder Valley MP Josh Fenton-Glynn, who both abstained on the first vote, confirmed they will now be voting against the legislation, narrowing Ms Leadbeater’s majority.

Mr Dewhirst told The Yorkshire Post: “I am not opposed to assisted dying in principle and was open to supporting limited legislation which addressed the most extreme cases of terminal illness.

“However, I cannot support a Bill that lacks sufficient safeguards and would allow people with conditions such as anorexia and depression to access state-sponsored suicide.”

While Mr Fenton-Glynn wrote in LabourList: “I am not convinced the safeguards are strong enough.”

While Shipley MP Anna Dixon told this paper she would also be voting against the legislation, instead urging the Government to set up a Royal Commission.

“The Bill as it stands is unworkable and there are still many unresolved issues that need to be addressed, such as whether assisted dying will be provided on the NHS or by private providers,” she said.

“While the public and the courts are rightly looking to parliament, it is better to take our time and get this right, than to rush through a bad piece of legislation that won’t work in practice and may cause more harm than good.”

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has indicated he will continue to back the Bill, as he did last year, saying earlier this week that his “position is long-standing and well-known” on assisted dying.

Health Secretary Wes Streeting, while describing Ms Leadbeater’s work on the proposed legislation as “extremely helpful”, confirmed in April that he still intended to vote against it.