The history, controversy and morality behind the assisted dying bill

Good morning. Today, MPs will gather in the Houses of Parliament to debate and vote on one of the most consequential pieces of legislation in recent history. The bill, titled terminally ill adults (end of life) bill, would legalise assisted dying in England and Wales for terminally ill adults who have been given less than six months to live.

MPs have been given a free vote, meaning they can follow their conscience instead of supporting a party-mandated position. They have been carefully examining the bill and listening to various interest groups and campaigners.

It is a highly charged and intensely emotive conversation for many. An estimated 20 terminally ill people in the UK die in unrelieved pain each day, according to a study by the independent Office of Health Economics. Those who support the bill say these people deserve autonomy and the right to choose to die in a dignified way, with appropriate pain-management. Opponents cite concerns about the wider implications of the legislation, particularly for disabled people.

For today’s newsletter, I spoke with the Guardian’s deputy politics editor, Jessica Elgot, about how this bill came to be and what MPs will be weighing up on the morning of the debate. That’s right after the headlines.

Five big stories

In depth: ‘It fundamentally changes the state’s attitude to life and death’

Assisted dying has been voted on, and rejected, twice in parliament (in 1997 and 2015) in the last 27 years. In 2015, it was defeated by a three-to-one margin. In both cases, it seemed clear that it was not going to pass because of a lack of support among MPs at the time.

The outcome of today’s vote could have profound and far-reaching consequences. As an issue of moral debate, some have likened assisted dying to capital punishment, abortion and equal marriage. “It fundamentally changes the attitude the state has to life and death. I can’t think of many things that are more important,” Jessica says. “It affects more people than any other issue. We might not all get married or need an abortion but everyone is going to die at some point”.

Why now?

It might seem confusing why, so early in Labour’s reign, this bill has emerged as the most prominent piece of legislation.

But the reason is simple: Kim Leadbeater (pictured above, left), the Labour MP behind the bill, came first in the private member’s ballot, essentially a lottery at the start of a parliamentary session giving 20 backbench MPs priority time for their chosen cause. “It was basically an accident of luck,” Jessica says. “The further you are down the ballot, the less time there is for your bill to become law. In practice, only the first five or six bills ever really get enough time to become law.”

There is an added layer to this unique situation: prime minister Keir Starmer has been a proponent of changing the law. Although the government has stayed neutral, “there has been a feeling that, potentially, there was a bit of pressure for someone who was early in that private member’s bill ballot to pick this as an issue,” Jessica adds.

Fraught mood

Some figures have changed their minds on the issue since the bill was proposed: former prime minister David Cameron, who previously opposed moves to legalise assisted dying, said that he now believes the current proposal was “not about ending life, it is about shortening death”. Conversely, health secretary Wes Streeting, who voted for the legalisation of assisted dying back in 2015, has now strongly come out against changing the law.

The changes of opinion have put people in perhaps counterintuitive oppositional stances, creating a fractious atmosphere in Westminster. Stephen Kinnock, the minister responsible for palliative care who would oversee assisted dying if legalised, has made it clear he is strongly in favour of the bill, putting him out of step with Streeting, his boss.

The bill has also led to unlikely alliances: Labour’s Diane Abbott and the Conservative Sir Edward Leigh, Britain’s longest-standing MPs, issued a joint call in the Guardian urging the Commons to reject the bill, arguing it is being rushed through and puts vulnerable people at risk.

Why are MPs hesitant?

Many will vote against the bill on principle, potentially guided by religious conviction, concerns about disabled people’s rights, or fears over whether the NHS can manage such a responsibility, particularly in the area of palliative care.

The bill does have tough safeguards: any intervention would require approval from two doctors and a high court judge, which Leadbeater says would make assisted dying the “safest choice” and the UK’s legislation the“strictest” in the world for terminally ill adults.

However, Dominic Grieve, a former Conservative attorney general under Cameron, said he had concerns about terminally ill patients being coerced into opting for assisted dying, and worries that the bill’s definition of coercion and control was too narrow. A UN report noted that there are “attitudinal barriers as well as the lack of appropriate services and support” that could pressure someone into ending their lives prematurely.

So challenging is the subject at hand that some MPs have decided to turn to their constituents directly, holding public meetings and canvassing them for their opinions. Though those relying solely on this method to make their decision have garnered some criticism – (one Reform MP literally got his constituents to choose for him via informal referendum).

“Critics have said that MPs actually have a bit of a different job to the average person, which is to consider the impacts of a bill like this on wider society as a whole, and that is a different responsibility to when you think about what you might want for yourself,” Jessica says.

New Labour MPs, barely six months into their parliamentary careers, are particularly conflicted. “This is potentially the biggest conscience issue they’ll face,” Jessica says. “Many might never have deeply considered this topic before.”

What’s next?

A significant number of MPs remain undecided. “Many people will be listening in the chamber to hear speeches before they make their final decisions,” Jessica says.

And even if Leadbeater secures enough votes to win today, the bill faces a complex legislative journey. MPs could vote twice more on the bill, including on any amendments, after which it would go to the House of Lords. “It will be a historic parliamentary moment, but this is just the first stage,” Jessica says.

Proponents view this as a once-in-a-generation opportunity. “This is a very progressive parliament, and public opinion is strong,” Jess says. Three-quarters of the public are in favour of the legislation, according to a recent YouGov poll.

“It really feels like this is the moment – if it’s going to happen, it’s now,” Jessica says. “And if it isn’t the moment today, it might feel like it is unlikely to ever happen”.

What else we’ve been reading

• Journalist Justine McCarthy previews what’s at stake in today’s Irish general election in this opinion piece. Unsurprisingly, the cost of living and the housing crisis are core issues, and the race to become taoiseach still seems wide open at the 11th hour. Charlie Lindlar, deputy editor, newsletters

• Talking with children about sex is rarely straightforward, so these 16 tips on how to do it from sex educators – from dropping the cutesy nicknames for genitals to having open conversations about porn – could prove invaluable. Toby Moses, head of newsletters

• Rob Kazandjian’s wonderful Huck magazine column, Daddy Issues, is a rare space for candid, careful conversations about fatherhood. His latest piece, speaking with Ted Lasso actor Kola Bokinni about how both their fathers battled with dementia, is a profoundly moving reflection on masculinity and parental grief. Charlie

• UFC fighter Conor McGregor has been everywhere – from the football pitch with Bukayo Saka to starring in films alongside Jake Gyllenhaal. But after a jury in a civil case found he raped Nikita Hand (pictured above), Jonathan Liew asks why it’s taken so long for fans and brands to disown him. Toby

• An interesting piece from Adrian Horton, on how the world of late-night comedy should respond to Donald Trump’s re-election. As she writes: “When political comedy has proven so futile, and the implications of the incoming administration are so deeply unfunny, where do you find the jokes?” Charlie

Sport

Football | Ruben Amorim received a rapturous welcome from the Old Trafford faithful, then oversaw a helter-skelter 3-2 victory in his first home game as Manchester United’s sixth No 1 of the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era. Spurs, who slipped outside the top eight despite taking a 2-1 lead at half-time, were guilty of a lack of control. The final result was an action-packed 2-2 draw.

Tennis | Five-time grand slam champion Iga Świątek has accepted a one-month suspension after testing positive for the banned substance trimetazidine, a heart medication known as TMZ, the International Tennis Integrity Agency announced on Thursday.

Football | Manchester United have revealed it cost £21.4m to sack Erik ten Hag as their manager and hire Ruben Amorim as the Dutchman’s replacement. Ten Hag was removed on 28 October, with his coaching staff René Hake, Jelle ten Rouwelaar, Pieter Morel and Ruud van Nistelrooy all following. A total £10.4m was paid in compensation to do so.

The front pages

Ahead of the vote for the assisted dying bill in parliament on Friday, the Guardian this morning splashes with: “MP behind assisted dying bill makes final appeal before vote”, while the i runs with: “UK public backs assisted dying.”

Also making the headlines is MasterChef star Gregg Wallace, who has stepped aside from his role amid complaints about alleged misconduct. “BBC in fresh sex scandal”, writes the Telegraph, “Bad Taste” says the Mirror, while the Metro has: “Masterchef TV Gregg accused over sick sex jokes.” The Sun runs the headline; “Sir Rod: You humiliated my wife.”

The Times on Friday highlighted a separate issue, splashing with: Tighter rules after ‘shock’ increase in immigration, while the Mail focuses on the transport secretary Louise Haigh, leading with: “Revealed: Cabinet minister has fraud conviction.”

Something for the weekend

Our critics’ roundup of the best things to watch, read and listen to right now

Music
Kendrick Lamar: GNX | ★★★★☆
GNX couldn’t be more different in tone from Lamar’s last album Mr Morale and the Big Steppers, which spent 75 minutes thrashing about, filled with self-criticism and doubt, contemplating the inevitable end of his moment in the spotlight. No such issues on GNX, an album that covers a lot of different topics but on which the overall message seems to be: who else wants some? It’s a huge leap from the racked figure at the centre of Mr Morale, and it would seem faintly risible were it not for the fact that GNX is evidently an album made by an artist at the top of his game. The braggadocio is richly, hugely entertaining, and his depictions of his early years and of his Los Angeles home town are consistently enthralling. The rhymes shift away from Lamar’s trademark storytelling, but what they lack in plotting and depth, they make up for in the sharpness of wordplay and wit. Alexis Petridis

TV
The Madness | ★★★★☆
Just because you’re paranoid doesn’t mean they’re not out to get you. It is the guiding principle behind all successful conspiracy thrillers, and The Madness has taken it to heart. Our hero is CNN-ish TV host and media pundit Muncie Daniels (Colman Domingo), who is on the brink of being offered his own show and all coming right with his world, professionally at least, and so takes a little break in the Poconos mountains. Soon, two balaclava-wearing men are chasing him through the woods. Soon after that, he has stabbed one of them with his fountain pen in self-defence and left him writhing in a putrid swamp while he makes his escape. Setup concluded, you can sit back and relax knowing you are in the hands of an expert team who are about to deliver a slick conspiracy thriller that is a cut above the rest. Lucy Mangan

Film
Conclave | ★★★★☆
Edward Berger’s drama is adapted with masterly flair by screenwriter Peter Straughan from the Robert Harris page-turner; Ralph Fiennes is on sumptuous form as the deeply troubled Cardinal Lawrence at the centre of a murky Vatican plot. The result is a high-camp gripper, like the world’s most serious Carry On film. Berger orchestrates marvellously tense, explosively dramatic scenes and, with cinematographer Stéphane Fontaine and production designer Suzie Davies, contrives some spectacularly strange and dream-like tableaux. And so the conclave becomes a nail-biting horse race with a photo-finish. Peter Bradshaw

Podcast
The Rest Is Classified
The latest addition to Goalhanger’s stable of The Rest Is … shows focuses on espionage. It’s exactly what you’d expect: a slick, info-packed chat between two hosts with sparkling rapport – specifically CIA analyst turned spy novelist David McCloskey and veteran national security journalist Gordon Corera. They are looking at the 1953 Iranian coup, and it’s a hugely enjoyable tale of diplomacy, power play, drunkenness – and a man named Kermit. Alexi Duggins

Today in Focus

Cartoon of the day | Ben Jennings

The Upside

A bit of good news to remind you that the world’s not all bad

When the actor Timothée Chalamet showed up at his own lookalike competition in New York, the event attracted thousands of spectators and quickly went viral. It also inspired dozens of similar contests – doppelgangers of celebrities including Paul Mescal, Jeremy Allen White and Zendaya have shown up in their droves in cities across the world in recent weeks.

The Chalamet contest was organised by YouTuber Anthony Po, who described the event as “really wholesome”. Cynics may suggest that some of the competition winners bear at best a passing resemblance to the celebrities in question, but Po says: “Everyone understood the absurdity and how stupid it was.”

Alice Leppert, an assistant professor of media and communications at Ursinus College, Pennsylvania, said that these days, “where there’s a lot of division and a lot of animosity”, these events are something “that people can unite around”.

Sign up here for a weekly roundup of The Upside, sent to you every Sunday

Bored at work?

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