MPs vote against fresh attempt to legalise assisted dying

MPs have voted against proposals to legalise assisted dying in England and Wales, bringing the latest effort to change the law to an end.

Following a debate in which both sides made emotional speeches, the House of Commons voted 286 to 270, majority 16, against the proposed legislation.

The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill would have allowed adults with fewer than six months to live to apply to be given help to end their own life, subject to certain safeguards.

A similar bill in the last parliamentary session was supported by MPs before stalling in the House of Lords . The decision from MPs on Friday rules out the prospect of changes to the law on assisted dying in the short-term.

The bill tabled by Labour MP Lauren Edwards will make no further progress, although MPs and peers could make another attempt in the next parliamentary session.

Assisted dying is an issue that has been debated for hundreds of hours in Parliament over the last two years and would have represented one of the biggest societal changes in recent years if it had been approved.

MPs were given a free vote, meaning they did not vote on party lines.

Safeguards within the bill included a requirement that a person applying for an assisted death had the approval of two doctors and an expert panel.