Harry Farley
Political correspondent
Sam Francis
Political reporter
Opposition to a bill which would legalise assisted dying in England and Wales is growing among MPs, the BBC has found.
The Assisted Dying Bill was supported by 330 MPs last year, passing its first major vote in the House of Commons with a majority of 55 MPs from a wide range of political parties.
But at least a dozen MPs who backed it or abstained in November have now said they are likely to vote against it.
The bill would allow terminally ill adults with less than six months to live to receive medical assistance to die
Supporters remain confident it will eventually become law but it faces further parliamentary tests.
The bill is a private members’ bill, sponsored by backbench Labour MP Kim Leadbeater.
MPs have been given a free vote on it, meaning they can decide based on their conscience rather than having to follow a party line.
They have spent the past few months examining it in detail, with more than 500 amendments tabled.
Some of these changes will be voted on by MPs next Friday – and a final Commons vote will take place in the summer, before it heads to the House of Lords for further scrutiny.
Markus Campbell-Savours, the Labour MP for Penrith and Solway, is one of those who has said he’s now likely to vote against the bill after previously supporting it.
He said he still considers himself “a supporter of assisted dying” but believes the current bill crosses “red lines for protecting the vulnerable”.
“I want to see safeguards that will ensure that assisted dying is not overextended to include those in situations where there are alternative ways to improve the quality of their lives,” said Campbell-Savours.
“I would also be very concerned if l
Read More