MPs voted 330 to 275 in favor of approving the assisted dying bill at second reading. However, the bill has not yet been passed and needs to go through several further steps. What happens next…
…For Congress?
Immediately after Friday's vote, Kim Leadbeater, the Labor backbencher who introduced the bill, tabled a secondary motion to allow it to go to the Open Bills Committee for further scrutiny.
Leadbeater selected the members of the committee and promised that the membership would reflect a balance of opinion. The selection committee will then have to approve the name. The government plans to appoint one minister to the committee, who will be selected from the Ministry of Justice. Construction is scheduled to begin next year.
The committee will take written and oral evidence before voting on a series of potential amendments, which will then be brought to the floor of the House of Commons for a vote. This vote at the reporting stage is usually perfunctory, and government bills are passed almost unchanged. However, some MPs are calling for several days to be set aside for all amendments to be debated and voted on as they are introduced.
The bill will eventually go to the House of Lords, where it will go through several more iterations before both houses will finally give it a final vote. Thereafter, a two-year implementation period was established, which was incorporated into the bill.
…For the government?
This bill is a private member's bill, and the government remains officially neutral. However, ministers must pass a financial resolution authorizing the spending of public funds on the policy and publish a formal impact assessment. Officials said Friday that this is likely to happen before the bill advances to the committee stage.
If the bill is ultimately enacted, officials say the Department of Health and Justice would jointly oversee its implementation, but this could be a potential change as their respective secretaries of state oppose the change. can become a troubling problem. Sources said Care Minister Stephen Kinnock is responsible for the bill within the Department of Health. It was thought Heidi Alexander would oversee the issue from within the Department of Justice, but that was before she was promoted to transport secretary. Since this bill changes the criminal law, the government plans to appoint a minister, expected to have a legal background, to oversee overall operations.
…What about Kim Leadbeater?
Mr Leadbeater left the Commons chamber on Friday afternoon surrounded by traitors and well-wishers, even pausing briefly to sign a copy of another Labor MP's bill. She then met with parents and families of people affected by the current law who were in the general public gallery for the debate before giving an interview in Congress. She will remain the bill's designated author.
…for cabinets?
Downing Street reiterated its message that ministers should not share views on assisted dying, even after stage two. Wes Streeting repeatedly made clear his opposition to the bill ahead of its second reading, frustrating colleagues including Keir Starmer. His department will now be involved in producing impact assessments, which could make it more difficult for him to remain silent about his views.
