Kim Leadbeater said she thinks the vote on the assisted dying bill will be “very close” and that it will get “hours and hours and hours of scrutiny” if MPs vote to put it through to the next stage on Friday.
The MP behind the Bill told BBC Breakfast: “MPs have been doing consultations with their constituents, holding events, holding round tables, doing huge amounts of amounts of research into this really important issue, and I think the vote will be very close.
“There are strongly held views on each side of the argument and there are people who instinctively feel that the law needs to change because it isn’t fit for purpose but, quite rightly, are concerned about the detail.
“And that’s why they’ve been analysing the Bill. The Bill has been out there for nearly three weeks now.”
It comes as former prime ministers Boris Johnson, Liz Truss and Theresa May have all come out opposing the bill.
Also, today Sir Keir Starmer will face off against Tory leader Kemi Badenoch at PMQs for only the third time.
Key Points
- Assisted dying Bill vote will be ‘very close’, says Leadbeater
- UK to water down electric car making rules as Vauxhall closes factory, putting 1,100 jobs at risk
- Former prime ministers unite against assisted dying as Grieve hints it is against rule of law
- What is happening today?
Dame Esther Rantzen urges MPs to attend Commons debate on assisted dying
10:45
Joe Middleton
Dame Esther Rantzen has urged “as many MPs as possible” to attend Friday’s debate and listen to the arguments on both sides to make their minds up on assisted dying.
The broadcaster and Childline founder, who is terminally ill, has been a high-profile voice in the conversation for the past year, repeatedly calling for a change in what she has described as the “cruel” current law.
In an extract from a letter, released through pro-change campaign group Dignity in Dying, Dame Esther said: “This is such a vital life and death issue, one that we the public care desperately about, so it is only right that as many MPs as possible listen to the arguments for and against, and make up your own minds, according to your own conscience, your personal thoughts and feelings.”
How your MP is expected to vote on assisted dying
10:26
Joe Middleton
Parliament will vote on an assisted dying bill this Friday for the first time in nearly a decade.
Labour MP Kim Leadbeater proposed the Private Members Bill in mid-October, which will legalise assisted death under certain conditions for terminally ill adults in England and Wales.
The Independent analysed public statements from all 650 MPs, in addition to news reports and other available information, to find which MPs will likely vote for or against the assisted dying bill this week. The analysis will be updated as more MPs come forward.
The bill is open to a “free vote”, meaning that the party whips will not dictate whether to support or oppose the bill. Individual MPs are free to vote based on their own values and opinions of their constituents, regardless of whether they are Labour, Tory, or otherwise.
How a battle over defining a woman ended up in the UK’s highest court
10:14
Joe Middleton
A lawyer fighting to establish what it means to be a woman has argued in the UK’s highest court that sex is an “immutable biological state”.
Aidan O’Neill KC, acting for campaigners in Scotland, made the arguments during the Supreme Court’s hearing of a legal challenge over the definition of what it means to be female.
The landmark case - which began on Tuesday - follows an ongoing debate between the Scottish government and campaigners.
The verdict will determine whether trans women should be considered female under the 2010 Equality Act as the case seeks to decide if sex amounts to the biological sex you are born with or your gender identity in the eyes of the law.
Maya Oppenheim reports
Comment: Why we can’t (and shouldn’t) separate God from the argument over assisted dying
10:03
Joe Middleton
That we are one people under God has long been the cornerstone of our treatment of others. Take it away and you take away what it means to be human, writes Catherine Pepinster
Watch: Overnight visitors to Wales could pay ‘tourism tax’, Welsh government announces
09:50
Joe Middleton
What is happening today?
09:39
Joe Middleton
9.30am: The Office for National Statistics (ONS) to publish data about domestic abuse in England and Wales.
Morning: Chancellor Rachel Reeves and Liz Kendall, the work and pensions secretary, are due to visit a mental health charity in London.
Midday: Keir Starmer faces Kemi Badenoch at PMQs.
12.30ish: Business secretary Jonathan Reynolds will make a statement to the Commons about.
3.30pm: Foreign secretary David Lammy it due to give evidence to the Foreign Affairs Committee.
Business secretary to give statement in Commons on electric vehicles
09:34
Joe Middleton
Business secretary Jonathan Reynolds will give a statement in the Commons today after announcing a “fast-track” consultation on plans for boosting the number of electric vehicles.
Asked whether the phase out of new petrol and diesel vehicles under the zero-emission vehicles (Zev) mandate could happen as quickly as planned, minister Stephen Morgan told Sky News: “We’re going to work very closely with industry UK to make sure that this is rolled out effectively.
“There will be a consultation, which I know the Business Secretary will be setting out in due course, and there will be a statement in the House later today.”
He added: “It is absolutely right that we’ve got the right infrastructure in place to make this a suitable journey and an easy journey for motorists to move towards ... We’ve set out the ambition, we obviously need to take consumers with us.
“And I know that Johnny Reynolds would do a good job on this work, and he will also be setting out more detail on this later in the House.”
Irish leader’s gaffe blows election wide open and leaves Starmer facing Brexit reset setback
09:29
Joe Middleton
Sir Keir Starmer risks a blow to his pledge to reset relations with the European Union after Brexit amid fears one of his key allies could be ousted in Friday’s elections in Ireland.
The Labour prime minister has built a strong personal rapport with the Irish leader Simon Harris since his election in July.
But a new poll for The Irish Times suggests Mr Harris’s Fine Gael party has slumped from first to third place, after a gaffe which has been compared to Gordon Brown’s 2010 “bigoted woman” comments.
Kate Devlin reports
Assisted dying Bill will be ‘very close’, says Leadbeater
09:23
Joe Middleton
Kim Leadbeater said she thinks the vote on the assisted dying Bill will be “very close” and that it will get “hours and hours and hours of scrutiny” if MPs vote to put it through to the next stage on Friday.
The MP behind the Bill told BBC Breakfast: “MPs have been doing consultations with their constituents, holding events, holding round tables, doing huge amounts of amounts of research into this really important issue, and I think the vote will be very close.
“There are strongly held views on each side of the argument and there are people who instinctively feel that the law needs to change because it isn’t fit for purpose but, quite rightly, are concerned about the detail.
“And that’s why they’ve been analysing the Bill. The Bill has been out there for nearly three weeks now.
“They’ve been looking at it in great detail. And I think the sense is that people think the right thing to do is to pass the Bill at second reading, which would then mean we would go into the Committee stage in the new year, where there would be hours and hours and hours of scrutiny of the Bill.
“The debate will continue in the public domain, no doubt, as well.”
Former prime ministers unite against assisted dying as Grieve hints it is against rule of law
09:20
Joe Middleton
Three former prime ministers have come out against the assisted dying bill, as Dominic Grieve warned it would breach the rule of law.
Boris Johnson, Liz Truss and Theresa May are all opposing the bill, which does not have the backing of a single former PM.
And ex-attorney general Mr Grieve claimed the bill would be blocked on several grounds by the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).
Archie Mitchell reports
Assisted Dying Bill will be scrutinised more than other legislation, says Leadbeater
09:17
Joe Middleton
Kim Leadbeater said she believes her Bill will probably be scrutinised more than other legislation because of the level of public debate on the issue of assisted dying.
The Labour MP told the Today programme: “In terms of time and scrutiny, look, this is not a new debate. This debate has been going on for decades.
“It’s been going on, as you quite rightly said, particularly in recent years, in no short part to due to high-profile campaigners like Esther Rantzen.
“But I think we can already see from what’s happened in the last few months, this Bill will receive more scrutiny and more discussion and more debate, probably, than any piece of legislation.”
UK to water down electric car making rules as Vauxhall closes factory, putting 1,100 jobs at risk
09:10
Joe Middleton
The government will water down rules which demand car makers switch to making battery-powered cars after pressure from the industry.
But the move comes too late to save Vauxhall’s van plant in Luton, where 1,100 jobs are at risk.
Ministers have agreed to review rules which say at least 22 per cent of cars made in British factories must be battery-powered. Breaking the rules means either buying credits from competitors who are beating these targets or paying a fine of £15,000 per car.
Howard Mustoe reports
Hello
09:09
Joe Middleton
Good morning and welcome to the The Independent’s politics blog covering everything in Westminster and beyond.
