MPs have backed a landmark bill to legalise assisted dying in the UK.
In a historic vote, they supported the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill by 330 votes to 275.
It followed four and a half hours of intense Commons debate as supporters and opponents of the historic locked horns.
Although the legislation still has several more hurdles to clear as it makes its way through parliament, today’s result is a huge step towards it becoming law.
If it does make it onto the statute book, terminally ill adults in England and Wales with less than six months to live will be granted the right to choose to end their life with medical assistance.
The private member’s bill was introduced by Labour MP Kim Leadbeater, but MPs were given a free vote because it is a matter of conscience.
Nevertheless, the debate exposed splits within the Cabinet.
PM Keir Starmer voted for the bill, along with chancellor Rachel Reeves, home secretary Yvette Cooper, work and pensions secretary Liz Kendall, energy secretary Ed Miliband, chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Pat McFadden and Northern Ireland secretary Hilary Benn, among others.
Health secretary Wes Streeting and justice secretary Shabana Mahmood has been very vocal about their opposition to the legislation in the weeks before all MPs voted.
Deputy PM Angela Rayner, foreign secretary David Lammy, chief secretary to the Treasury Darren Jones and paymaster general Nick Thomas-Symonds joined them in not voting for the bill today.
Overall, there were 234 Labour MPs who supported it, along with 61 Lib Dems and 23 Tories.
Just 11 Lib Dems voted against it, with 92 Tories and 147 Labour MPs.
Outside of the Commons, Lord Cameron became the first former prime minister to support the bill earlier this week after Gordon Brown, Baroness Theresa May, Boris Johnson and Liz Truss spoke out against it.
But, only Cameron and May have seats in the House of Lords meaning they will get to vote on it once the bill is processed in the Commons.
MPs last voted on the issue in 2015, and rejected a different set of proposals by 330 votes to 118.
