Story perspectives

England and Wales MPs defeat assisted-dying bill 286–270

By Drooid · Sep 12, 2026, 6:38 AM UTC · How we work

Summary

Story summary

England and Wales MPs defeated the assisted-dying bill 286-270.
Support fell by 44 MPs compared with the previous year’s vote.
Labour MP Lauren Edwards reintroduced the unchanged bill on 17 June.
The bill would have let terminal adults apply for assisted death, requiring two doctors and an expert panel.
Archbishops Richard Moth, Sarah Mullally and Labour MPs Ashley Dalton, Meg Hillier and Jess Asato opposed the bill as unsafe.

History

Historical Context

Since Lord Joffe’s assisted-dying proposal was first raised in 2005, successive attempts—Lord Falconer’s 2014 bill and Rob Marris’s 2015 private-member bill, defeated 330-118—have stalled. The latest Commons defeat mirrors that pattern, with senior clergy and Labour MPs opposing change, underscoring the entrenched ethical resistance that has persisted for two decades.

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Story summary

England and Wales MPs defeated the assisted-dying bill 286-270.
Support fell by 44 MPs compared with the previous year’s vote.
Labour MP Lauren Edwards reintroduced the unchanged bill on 17 June.
The bill would have let terminal adults apply for assisted death, requiring two doctors and an expert panel.
Archbishops Richard Moth, Sarah Mullally and Labour MPs Ashley Dalton, Meg Hillier and Jess Asato opposed the bill as unsafe.

1 / 2