MPs reject assisted dying bill in 'knife-edge' Commons vote

UK MPs have voted down legislation that would have legalised assisted dying for terminally ill adults in England and Wales. The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill was defeated at its second reading on Friday 11 September 2026 by 286 votes to 270 — a majority of 16.

The result ends the latest attempt to change the law after a two-year parliamentary process and makes it highly unlikely the issue will return before the next general election.

What the bill would have done:

The private member’s bill, reintroduced by Labour MP Lauren Edwards, would have allowed mentally competent adults aged 18 and over who were expected to die within six months to request an assisted death. Approval would have required two doctors plus an expert panel. The process was designed with a lengthy implementation period, meaning any service would not have been available until at least 2030–31.

Supporters framed it as a matter of personal autonomy and dignity at the end of life. Opponents argued the safeguards were insufficient to protect disabled people, those with mental illness, victims of coercion, and others who might feel they were a burden amid strained NHS and social care services.

A reversal from last year:

A near-identical bill, originally sponsored by Labour’s Kim Leadbeater, passed the Commons twice in the previous parliament — first by 55 votes, then by 23 at third reading in June 2025. It then ran out of time in the House of Lords after opponents tabled a large number of amendments. Edwards used her place in the private members’ bill ballot to bring the measure back, saying the conversation had been interrupted and that peers should be given the chance to finish scrutinising it.

Friday’s vote was tighter and went the other way. Labour MPs split 190 in favour and 153 against — a notable drop in support compared with 2025. Conservatives voted heavily against (90–17), Liberal Democrats more in favour (52–17), and Reform UK MPs opposed it. Prime Minister Andy Burnham, whose government remained officially neutral, abstained. His predecessor Keir Starmer had voted in favour of the earlier bill.

The debate featured personal testimony. Labour MP Ashley Dalton, who has incurable metastatic breast cancer, urged colleagues to reject the bill. Another Labour MP, Claire Hazelgrove, spoke in favour and described her mother’s decision to end a terminal illness.