The cheerful optimism of supporters of the assisted dying bill has turned to nervousness
The assisted dying bill is entering the make-or-break stage.
The message from those around Kim Leadbeater is that all is calm and well. She tells me she is “not particularly worried” about 28 MPs changing their minds and overturning the previous, historic, vote at the bill’s second reading.
But the mood at the assisted dying campaign’s press conference today is different. The cheerful optimism that marked the last one has turned to a charged nervousness.
They should be nervous. There are jitters among a number of MPs I’ve spoken to who voted for the bill last time but are concerned about safeguards and timeframes.
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MPs do not have long to make up their minds – after the Easter recess the report stage of the process will begin (probably on the 25 April) and the next vote is expected around the 16 May.
It will be the crunch vote where MPs who voted for the bill in principle – to see it debated – will need to pick a side.
Last time a majority of 55 MPs voted for assisted dying, more than many had expected but not enough to make the path to law certain.
Reform’s Lee Anderson and his former colleague Rupert Lowe have both told us they will no longer be backing the bill, having supported it last time. No Labour MPs I’ve spoken to appear to have decisively changed their mind, however.
“I would hope that some colleagues would come on board that potentially voted against it last time,” Ms Leadbeater tells me.
But the sense I get is the mood may be in the other direction.
The main issue that comes up is the removal of the requirement of a High Court judge – to be replaced by a panel of experts including a senior lawyer, psychiatrist and social worker. Ms Leadbeater says the safeguards are now stronger.
There has also been criticism that some amendments, including on closing a so-called anorexia loophole, were not selected.
Naz Shah, the Labour MP for Bradford West who did not back the assisted dying bill but claims she was “very open” to voting for it, says the process has been “fundamentally flawed”.
She says: “The intention for me was, is it going to be safer? Can I vote for this bill? Ultimately the conclusion I’ve drawn is, no, it’s not safe enough.”
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Kim Leadbeater MP defends changes to Assisted Dying Bill
There is also disquiet about the deadline for the implementation of assisted dying being pushed to four years, which some fear will mean it will be politicised in an election campaign.
Ms Leadbeater says it is “more important to do this right than to do this quickly”. She believes implementation can still be achieved in two years.
And what of the toll it has taken on the MP herself? It was always remarkable that such consequential legislation to be brought via an individual MP’s private members bill.
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Why is assisted dying so controversial?
Ms Leadbeater, whose sister Jo Cox was murdered when she was an MP, tells me “the personal toll has been quite hard”.
She talks about the “unpleasantness and nastiness” that has been directed towards her but believes her parliamentary colleagues have come to the argument in good faith.
“I think people have got their views and they’ve got strong views”, she says. “We all have to think about how we behave in this very privileged, very responsible job.”
One thing is for sure, it’s nearly make-your-mind-up time for MPs, and what happens next will have consequences well beyond parliament.
Australia’s financial intelligence agency has told inactive registered crypto exchanges to withdraw their registrations or risk having them canceled over fears that the dormant firms could be used for scams.
There are currently 427 crypto exchanges registered with the Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (AUSTRAC), but the agency said on April 29 that it suspects a significant number are inactive and possibly vulnerable to being bought and co-opted by criminals.
The agency is contacting any so-called digital currency exchanges (DCEs) that appear to no longer be trading, and AUSTRAC CEO Brendan Thomas said they’ll be told to “use it or lose it.”
“Businesses registered with AUSTRAC are required to keep their details up to date; this includes details about services that are no longer provided,” he added.
Businesses wanting to offer Australians conversions between cash and crypto, including crypto ATM providers, must first register with AUSTRAC, which monitors for crimes including money laundering, terror financing and tax evasion.
The agency can cancel a registration if it has reasonable grounds to believe the business is no longer active or offering crypto-related services.
Ten firms have had their AUSTRAC registration canceled since 2019, with the most recent being FTX Express in June 2024, the local subsidiary of the collapsed crypto exchange FTX.
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Following its blitz on inactive crypto exchanges, AUSTRAC said it will publish a list of registered exchanges to help Australians verify legitimate providers.
Thomas said the goal is to make it harder for criminals to scam people and improve the integrity and accuracy of AUSTRAC’s register.
“If a DCE does intend to offer a service, they need to contact us otherwise we will cancel the registration and this information will be added to the register,” he said.
“Members of the public should feel confident that they can identify legitimate cryptocurrency providers that are registered and subject to regulatory oversight and that we are driving criminals out of this industry,” Thomas added.
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In February, the Anti-Money Laundering regulator took action against 13 remittance service providers and crypto exchanges, with over 50 others still being investigated regarding possible compliance issues.
Six providers were refused registration renewal on the grounds that key personnel were either convicted, prosecuted, or charged with a serious offense.
Australia has yet to pass crypto regulations. In August 2022, the ruling center-left Labor Party initiated a series of industry consultations to draft a crypto regulatory framework.
In March, the government proposed a new crypto framework regulating exchanges under existing financial services laws ahead of a federal election slated for May 3.
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The government wants councils to crush more vans used to fly-tip rubbish, as it announces a crackdown on the illegal dumping of waste.
No new funding is being given to local authorities for the initiatives, with ministers saying the seven percent raise announced in the budget can be used.
As part of the announcement, the government has also proposed that fly-tippers could face up to five years in prison, although this would require a change in the law.
Environment Secretary Steve Reed attacked the Conservatives’ record. Pic: PA
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Environment Secretary Steve Reed said: “Councils will get much more aggressive against fly-tippers and that includes using the latest technology, things like the new mobile CCTV cameras and drones to identify, track and then seize the vehicles that are being used for fly-tipping to a yard like this and crush them.
“That’s both as a punishment for those people who are dumping the rubbish but also as a deterrent for those who are thinking about doing it.”
He added: “We’re also looking to change the law so that those rogue operators who take rubbish from someone’s home and then dump it on a nearby road – they were getting away almost scot-free under the previous government – they will now be looking at potentially five-year prison sentences.”
The minister claimed the fly-tipping was “out of control” under the last government.
Data from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) shows local authorities in England dealt with a record 1.15 million incidents last year – a 20% increase from 2018/19.
Environment Agency chief executive Philip Duffy said: “We’re determined to bring these criminals to justice through tough enforcement action and prosecutions.
“That’s why we support the government’s crackdown on waste criminals, which will ensure we have the right powers to shut rogue operators out of the waste industry.”
However, the Conservatives claimed that rubbish is “piling high” in areas like Birmingham as refuse workers strike against a pay and jobs offer from the Labour-run council.
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Shadow environment secretary Victoria Atkins said: “Wherever Labour is in charge, waste is piling high – like in Birmingham, where Labour’s inability to stand up to their union paymasters has left rat-infested rubbish littered across the street.
“And with statistics showing that of the 50 worst local areas for fly-tipping, 72% are Labour controlled, it is clear that voting Labour gets you rubbish and rats.
“So the British public deserve real action, not this series of reheated announcements and policies already introduced by previous governments that Labour is peddling.”
Liberal Democrat deputy leader Daisy Cooper said: “Under the Conservatives’ watch, local communities have been plagued by a fly-tipping epidemic.
“From overflowing bins to piles of hazardous waste, fly-tipping is blighting our landscapes, poisoning livestock on farming land and causing misery for residents.
“Enough is enough.
“The Liberal Democrats are calling for a fly-tipping fighting fund, to push for stronger local enforcement and tougher penalties for offenders.”
US Senate Majority Leader John Thune reportedly told Republican lawmakers that the chamber would address a bill on stablecoin regulation before the May 26 Memorial Day holiday.
According to an April 29 Politico report, Thune made the comments in a closed-door meeting with Republican senators, who hold a slim majority in the chamber. The Guiding and Establishing National Innovation for US Stablecoins, or GENIUS Act, was introduced by Senator Bill Hagerty in February and passed the Senate Banking Committee in March.
Thune did not mention any crypto or blockchain-related bills in his public comments on US President Donald Trump’s first 100 days in office. Since his Jan. 20 inauguration, Trump has signed several executive orders with the potential to affect US crypto policy, including one affecting stablecoins. Still, many of the actions do not carry the force of law without an act of Congress.
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The proposed GENIUS bill could essentially restrict any entity other than a “permitted payment stablecoin issuer” from issuing a payment stablecoin in the United States. The House of Representatives, also controlled by Republicans, has proposed a companion bill to the legislation: the Stablecoin Transparency and Accountability for a Better Ledger Economy, or STABLE Act.
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The president’s executive order, signed on Jan. 23, established a working group to study the potential creation and maintenance of a national crypto stockpile and a regulatory framework for stablecoins. Republican lawmakers followed by introducing the STABLE and GENIUS acts.
Trump also introduced the order before World Liberty Financial, a crypto firm backed by the president’s family, launched its US-dollar pegged USD1 stablecoin. Many Democratic lawmakers said that Trump’s ties to the firm, coupled with his political influence and position, could present an “extraordinary conflict of interest that could create unprecedented risks to our financial system” as Congress considers the two stablecoin bills.
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