Bishop of Norwich 'saddened' over assisted dying bill vote

The Rt Rev Graham Usher, who had urged Norfolk's MPs to vote against Labour MP Kim Leadbeater's Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, said he was "saddened" it passed its second hearing.

Labour MP Kim Leadbeater

Bishop Graham praised MPs who "spoke with sincerity, compassion and with a deep sense of care".

But he added: "I am very saddened the bill passed its second reading in the House of Commons; 330 for, 270 against.

"This is a bleak day for all whom I have spoken with who feared such a result, including the vulnerable, those at risk of coercion, disability groups and those working in palliative care.

"The experience from other countries who have introduced assisted suicide is not good, with a slow creep to a wider circle following legal challenges.

"Assisted suicide will further stretch the NHS and our legal system, and it will be interesting to read the government’s impact assessment when it is published."

The bill will next go to committee stage, where MPs can table amendments. It will then face further scrutiny and votes in both the House of Commons and the House of Lords, meaning any law change would not be agreed until next year at the earliest.

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

And Bishop Graham, who has a seat in the House of Lords, said: "When the Bill eventually reaches the House of Lords, I will want to see how it has been amended from what MPs had before them today.

"I believe that a wiser path would be to provide more palliative and hospice care so that the terminally ill and their families are supported and cared for with the utmost dignity. We must not give up on that aspiration."

How Norfolk and Waveney MPs voted

The region's MPs who voted for the bill were:

North Norfolk MP Steffan Aquarone (Image: Steffan Aquarone)

Steffan Aquarone (Liberal Democrat - North Norfolk), George Freeman (Conservative - Mid Norfolk), Terry Jermy (Labour - South West Norfolk), Clive Lewis (Labour - Norwich South), Rupert Lowe (Reform UK - Great Yarmouth) Alice Macdonald (Labour - Norwich North), Adrian Ramsay (Green - Waveney Valley) and James Wild (Conservative - North West Norfolk).

Those who voted against it were:

Lowestoft MP Jess Asato (Image: UK Parliament)

Jess Asato (Labour - Lowestoft), Ben Goldsborough (Labour - South Norfolk) and Jerome Mayhew (Conservative - Broadland and Fakenham).