MP who introduced assisted dying bill ‘confident’ it will be voted through

Published

14 hours ago

June 20, 2025

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The politician who introduced the assisted dying bill has said she is “confident” MPs will push it through to the next stage on Friday.

Speaking at a news conference ahead of a Commons vote, Kim Leadbeater said: “I do feel confident we can get through tomorrow successfully.”

If new amendments are voted through on Friday, the bill to give some terminally ill adults the right to end their lives will get closer to becoming law as it will go through to the next stage in the House of Lords.

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Ms Leadbeater, who introduced the bill in October last year, said if MPs do not vote it through on Friday, “it could be another decade before this issue is brought back to parliament”.

But she said there was a “good majority” who voted for the bill at the last major vote, the second reading in November, when MPs voted it through by 330 to 275.

“There might be some small movement in the middle, some people might change their mind or will change their mind the other way,” she said.

“But fundamentally, I do not anticipate that that majority would be heavily eroded.”

A new YouGov poll found 72% of Britons supported the bill as it stands, including 59% of those who say they support assisted dying in principle but oppose it in practice, and 67% were opposed to the principle of euthanasia but are willing to back it in practice.

Criticism by doctors

The Labour MP was joined by bereaved and terminally ill people at Thursday’s news conference as she made her case for a change in the law.

The proposed legislation would allow terminally ill adults, with fewer than six months to live, to apply for an assisted death, subject to approval by two doctors and a panel featuring a social worker, senior legal figure and psychiatrist.

Recently, the Royal College of Psychiatrists, the Royal College of Pathologists and the Royal College of Physicians have raised concerns about the bill.

The Royal College of Psychiatrists said the bill, in its current form, did “not meet the needs of patients”.

It has also expressed concern over the shortage of qualified psychiatrists to take part in assisted dying panels.

But Ms Leadbeater said doctors and psychiatrists have their individual views on assisted dying and royal colleges have, over the years, been neutral because of that.

“My door is open, so if they have got concerns, they can come and speak to me about those concerns,” she said.

“But what I would say is they were very keen that there was psychiatric involvement in the process, and that’s why I included it. And I do think that’s important.”

It appears the country is ready for historic change

On the eve of one of the most important votes this current cohort of MPs will likely ever cast, it was a bold, daring claim to make.

Asked by a reporter at a news conference convened in a hot, crowded room deep inside the parliamentary estate if tomorrow’s assisted dying vote was likely to pass, Kim Leadbeater replied, confidently, yes, her controversial bill would be carried.

It would take a sizeable shift to swing it the other way, and opponents of the bill have been trying very hard to convince wavering MPs to do just that.

This week alone, there have been significant interventions from the Royal Colleges of Psychiatrists and Physicians – two professions that would be at the heart of delivering this end of life care and key in making the life or death decisions.

The setting might have been political, but the message was much less so.

Ms Leadbeater was flanked by supporters with the most compelling, heart-wrenching testimonies.

Each told their own powerful story: of lonely, painful deaths, carefully planned journeys to Switzerland’s Dignitas clinic kept secret from loved ones, and the life limiting deterioration in health and dreading what new misery the next few weeks or months would bring.

It was a powerful reminder to MPs that away from the parliamentary process and bill scrutiny, ultimately, this is what the legislation is all about.

There was a (questionable) assurance from Lord Falconer that the House of Lords would respect the will of the people and the bill will pass through the upper chamber without difficulty.

The timetable is tight, but it appears the country is ready for change – a historic one.

On Friday, MPs will vote on a number of amendments proposed by Ms Leadbeater after months of discussions with the assisted dying committee, made up of MPs both for and against the bill.

At the start of the session they will vote on a person not being eligible for assisted dying if their wish to end their life was substantially motivated by factors such as not wanting to be a burden, a mental disorder, a disability, financial considerations, a lack of access to care, or suicidal ideation.

The Speaker has indicated he will also choose these amendments for MPs to vote on:

• Supported by Ms Leadbeater – Requiring the government to publish an assessment of palliative and end-of-life care within a year of the bill passing

• Supported by Ms Leadbeater – A person cannot be considered terminally ill solely because they voluntarily stopped eating or drinking

• Not supported by Ms Leadbeater – Disapply the presumption a person has capacity unless the opposite is established

• Not supported by Ms Leadbeater – Prevent section 1 of the NHS Act 2006, which sets out the NHS’ purpose, from being amended by regulations.

Politics

‘Absolutely staggering’ security breach at RAF base – as activists break in and vandalise aircraft

Published

2 hours ago

June 20, 2025

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'Absolutely staggering' security breach at RAF base - as activists break in and vandalise aircraft

Sir Keir Starmer has condemned pro-Palestinian activists who broke into a RAF base in Oxfordshire as “disgraceful”.

Palestine Action targeted RAF Brize Norton and damaged two military aircraft in what the Ministry of Defence (MoD) branded an act of “vandalism”.

The pro-Palestinian group posted on X to say it had broken into the site – the largest RAF station with approximately 5,800 service personnel, 300 civilian staff and 1,200 contractors.

In a video shared online, a person can be seen approaching an aircraft on a scooter as music is played. Red paint can be seen on the ground.

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In a post on X, the prime minister branded the breach an “act of vandalism” and “disgraceful”.

“Our Armed Forces represent the very best of Britain and put their lives on the line for us every day. It is our responsibility to support those who defend us,” he added.

The MoD also condemned the group’s actions, adding: “We are working closely with the police who are investigating.”

In a statement, Palestine Action – which focuses its campaigns on multinational arms dealers and has previously targeted corporate banks – said it had damaged two military planes at the RAF base, where flights depart on a daily basis for RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus.

The UK has two military bases on the island of Cyprus, a legacy of its former status as a British colony.

When it gained independence from Britain in 1960, it was agreed that Britain would maintain two “sovereign base areas” at Akrotiri in the south west and Dhekelia in the south east.

Aircraft based at Akrotiri include RAF Typhoons, which were used last year in strikes on Houthi rebels in Yemen, as well as Puma helicopters.

The group said two activists “broke into the largest air force base in Britain and used electric scooters to swiftly manoeuvre towards the planes”.

They said repurposed fire extinguishers were used to spray red paint into the turbine engines of two Airbus Voyagers, while further damage was made using crowbars.

“Red paint, symbolising Palestinian bloodshed was also sprayed across the runway and a Palestine flag was left on the scene,” the statement added.

“Both activists managed to evade security and arrest.”

Work is under way to assess whether any damage has been caused, it is understood.

No operations or planned movements are thought to have been affected.

A senior RAF source told Sky News: “The claims made by the group who broke into RAF Brize Norton show a complete lack of understanding of how the RAF operates and what these aircraft do.

“The UK is not supporting Israeli operations and these aircraft have not been used in support of Israeli forces in any shape or form.”

Ben Obese-Jecty, a Liberal Democrat MP and former army officer, said the breach at Brize Norton was “absolutely staggering”.

“Given the current heightened global tensions, the increase in activity and the recent exploitation of the vulnerability of Russian airbases by Ukraine, it is incredible that our busiest RAF base could be compromised,” he said.

Politics

Death, divorce and lost keys: The question of succession in tokenized property

Published

3 hours ago

June 20, 2025

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Death, divorce and lost keys: The question of succession in tokenized property

Blockchain’s promise of democratized property ownership faces a potential roadblock. Integrating automated, blockchain-native succession protocols is essential to protect digital assets and enable true democratization of RWA ownership.

Politics

Starmer could allow Trump use of British bases to attack Iran, says Harriet Harman

Published

5 hours ago

June 20, 2025

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Starmer could allow Trump use of British bases to attack Iran, says Harriet Harman

Sir Keir Starmer could end up allowing Donald Trump to use British bases to launch strikes on Iran, Harriet Harman has said.

Speaking to Beth Rigby on the Electoral Dysfunction podcast, Baroness Harman said this was despite the prime minister being part of a generation “shaped” by opposition to the Iraq War.

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Baroness Harman was solicitor general when Sir Tony Blair decided to take Britain to war in Iraq alongside the United States in 2003.

She said the decisions made by Sir Tony would be “burning bright” in Sir Keir‘s mind.

“He’s part of the political generation of the Labour Party that grew up, which was shaped by its opposition to what Tony Blair was doing in relation to Iraq,” Baroness Harman said.

“So it would be a massive change for him.”

Asked if the UK could end up giving permission for US aircraft to use British military bases on Cyprus and Diego Garcia, but not go any further than that, Baroness Harman said: “Exactly”.

Sky News reported on Thursday that Attorney General Richard Hermer has raised questions over whether Israel’s actions in Iran are lawful, potentially limiting what support he believes the UK could offer the US.

Baroness Harman said that for Sir Keir, the “rules-based international order is the most important thing”.

“If the attorney general says that the government can’t do something because it’s illegal, it can’t do it. So he’s in a very crucial position,” she added.

But Baroness Harman said it would be difficult for Sir Keir to say “thank you for the trade deal” to Mr Trump and then deny the president use of the airbases.

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