Why MSP behind Scottish assisted dying Bill is ‘confident' politicians will back the Bill

MPs voted 330 to 275 on Friday to approve Kim Leadbeater’s Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill at the second reading.

While this will not affect the law in Scotland, where the issue is devolved to Holyrood, it has been welcomed by campaigners who want a similar change north of the Border.

Liam McArthur’s Member’s Bill, which would allow certain terminally ill adults to request assistance to end their lives, is at the first of the Scottish Parliament’s three-stage process before it can become law.

Just as in Westminster, MSPs will have a free vote on the issue and there have already been divisions which cut across party lines.

The Scottish Parliament is expected to vote on the general principles of the Bill in late spring or early summer next year.

Reacting to the Westminster vote, Liberal Democrat Mr McArthur said: “I am delighted to see Kim Leadbeater’s Bill pass its first parliamentary hurdle.

“This debate has shown the UK Parliament at its best with thoughtful contributions from across the House and a vote which shows a clear recognition that the present blanket ban on assisted dying does not work and that more choice, alongside excellent palliative care, is what dying people need.

“It is clear that today’s vote reflects the wishes of the UK public, who overwhelmingly back a change in the law to offer choice and compassion.

“I am confident that MSPs in the Scottish Parliament will do the same when they vote at stage one on my Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill.”

First Minister John Swinney has spoken of how he is finding it difficult to decide whether he should back the change, saying the issue “raises deeply significant moral questions”.

Some religious groups in Scotland have set out their strong opposition to the principle of assisted dying.

John Keenan, the bishop of Paisley and president of the Bishops’ Conference of Scotland, said: “This is a sad day for the sick, the vulnerable and the disabled in society. Today’s vote strikes a blow against the foundational principle of medicine - ‘do no harm’.

“Since parliamentarians have voted to create a category of people that the state will help to commit suicide, doctors will now be invited to help their patients to kill themselves. As we have seen across the world, once enacted these laws are rapidly and dangerously expanded.”

Previous attempts to change Scottish law around assisted dying have not been successful.

Independent MSP Margo Macdonald brought forward similar proposals in 2010, with these rejected by 85 votes to 16 at stage one. A subsequent attempt by Green MSP Patrick Harvie to pass legislation was defeated by 82 votes to 36 in 2015.

However, with two Holyrood elections having taken place since then, Mr McArthur has pointed out that about two-thirds of current MSPs have not yet had the opportunity to vote on the issue.

While the Lib Dem MSP’s Bill has the same overall purpose as Ms Leadbeater’s legislation, there are a number of differences in the wording of the proposed laws.

The UK Bill makes terminally ill adults with a life expectancy of six months eligible for assisted dying if they are 18 or older. The Scottish Bill sets the age limit at 16 and specifies they “have an advanced and progressive disease, illness or condition from which they are unable to recover and that can reasonably be expected to cause their premature death”.

Both Bills require the approval of two doctors for assisted dying, but the UK Bill also requires the approval of a High Court judge.

Most Scottish MPs who voted on Friday opposed Ms Leadbeater’s legislation, with 17 supporting it and 29 voting against.

The SNP did not vote as it only affects England and Wales. Among Scottish Labour MPs, just 13 backed it, while 22 voted against.

Scottish Secretary Ian Murray did not vote as he is in Singapore on a trade visit, and neither did Douglas Alexander, the Labour MP for East Lothian and a trade minister.

All five Scottish Tory MPs voted against the Bill. Meanwhile, four of Scotland’s six Liberal Democrat MPs voted for it, with the remaining two opposed.

Fifteen members of the Cabinet, including Sir Keir Starmer alongside Chancellor Rachel Reeves and Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, voted for the Bill.

Meanwhile eight voted against, including Health Secretary Wes Streeting, Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner, Foreign Secretary David Lammy, Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood, and Women and Equalities minister Anneliese Dodds.

Former prime minister Rishi Sunak voted in support, while Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch voted against.

The Bill will now go before a committee of MPs, who will carry out line-by-line scrutiny of the legislation and can propose amendments.

Ms Leadbeater, as the Bill’s proposer, will be responsible for choosing the make-up of the committee, but has indicated that she will seek to reflect the range of views expressed in Friday’s debate.

MPs will then have another opportunity to vote on the legislation. If it passes, it will then be debated by the House of Lords, where it will follow the same procedure.

“We have shown Parliament in its best light today,” Ms Leadbeater told the BBC. “Very respectful, very compassionate debate, irrespective of the different views that people hold.”

Conservative MP Danny Kruger, who led opposition to the Bill during Friday’s debate, said he was “disappointed”, but added the vote was “simply to continue the discussion”.

He said: “I was reassured that so many colleagues recognised that the Bill is very dangerous. There’s lots of problems with it and they have said they want to improve it in committee.

“I want to help them do that and I hope we can make substantial improvements before it comes back for third reading. And I hope that if it’s not good enough, if the safeguards are not strengthened, then colleagues will vote against it before it comes into law.”

Some MPs indicated during the debate their support for the Bill might not continue at a further vote, if they are not convinced of the safeguards.

One of the Westminster Bill’s most high-profile supporters, Dame Esther Rantzen, said she was “absolutely thrilled” with the result of Friday’s vote.

The Childline founder and broadcaster said: “I listened to the debate and it was very deeply felt. Members of Parliament, whether they opposed it or proposed it, had obviously given it a great deal of thought, and right up to the end of the debate, I had no idea whether it would be voted through or not.”