The MPs who voted for and against assisted dying

The result could pave the way for terminally ill adults given under six months to live to be allowed to end their own lives.

James Harrison, Ellen Manning and James Hockaday
Updated ·3-min read
Screen grab of MPs gathered to hear the result of the vote on the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, in the chamber of the House of Commons in Westminster, London. A proposed law to legalise assisted dying in England and Wales has cleared its first parliamentary hurdle after MPs voted 330 to 275, majority 55, to approve it at second reading. Picture date: Friday November 29, 2024.
MPs voted 330 to 275, a majority 55, to approve the assisted dying bill at second reading.

Keir Starmer and the chancellor Rachel Reeves were among members of the Cabinet to vote in favour of a bill that could allow terminally ill adults with a life expectancy of less than six months to end their own lives.

On Friday, the assisted dying bill passed its first parliamentary hurdle as a majority of 55 MPs (330 to 275) supported the move.

Former prime minister Rishi Sunak was also among those to back the bill. Senior members of the Cabinet to vote against it included deputy prime minister Angela Rayner, foreign secretary David Lammy and health secretary Wes Streeting. Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch also voted against.

To check how your MP voted, search for your constituency in the table below.

If you aren't sure of your constituency, you can search using your postcode on the parliament website.

You can also check out how your MP voted using this map.

Do you agree with MPs?

Have your say in our poll below and leave your comment about the assisted dying debate here, which we may feature in our live coverage here later today.

You can also check out how your MP voted using this map.

Labour MP Kim Leadbeater (centre) with Dignity in Dying campaigners as they gather in Parliament Square, central London, in support of the
Labour MP Kim Leadbeater is leading the parliamentary campaign to change the law on assisted dying. (PA Images via Getty Images)

There are several requirements for someone to be eligible under the proposed law.

  • The person must be an adult – aged 18 or older – and be resident in England and Wales and registered with a GP for at least 12 months.

  • They must have the mental capacity to make a choice about the end of their life and be deemed to have expressed a clear, settled and informed wish – free from coercion or pressure – to end their life.

  • They must be terminally ill and be expected to die within six months.

  • They must make two separate declarations, witnessed and signed, about their wish to die.

  • The process must involve two independent doctors being satisfied the person is eligible and the medics can consult a specialist in the person’s condition and get an assessment from an expert in mental capacity if deemed necessary.

  • A High Court judge must hear from at least one of the doctors regarding the application and can also question the dying person as well as anyone else they consider appropriate.

  • There must be at least seven days between the two doctors making their assessments and a further 14 days after the judge has made a ruling, for the person to have a period of reflection on their decision.

  • For someone whose death is expected imminently, the 14-day period could be reduced to 48 hours.

It would be illegal for someone to pressure, coerce or use dishonesty to get someone to make a declaration that they wish to end their life or to induce someone to self-administer an approved substance.

If someone is found guilty of either of these actions, they could face a jail sentence of up to 14 years.

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