Assisted Dying Vote - a Statement from Steve Darling

I want to start by once again thanking every single person who wrote to me about the issue of Assisted Dying. The feelings and personal stories shared were so important in shaping my decisions through all the votes in parliament, from the various amendments to the final decision on whether to support the bill. 

As you may have already seen, my final decision was to vote against the bill. This was a very difficult decision, and I really appreciate the strength of feeling for and against the bill. I know the result of the bill passing in the House of Commons will come as a relief to many, and of great concern to others. Please be assured that for many of those concerns, I will do my best to campaign for true safeguarding :  around this bill, including enhanced palliative and social care, as it continues on its journey - firstly, it must pass through the House of Lords before becoming law. 

As I have previously stated, I voted for the bill to pass its Second Reading on 29th November 2024 to continue the debate on the issue. In my heart, I do support the cause of assisted dying. This is in part informed by my personal experiences, especially my father’s passing. Although he passed away in a wonderful care home in Torbay, surrounded by love and kindness, the overall circumstances of his death were not what I would have wished for him. 

However, I have since become increasingly concerned about the legislation to make assisted dying happen, especially in the current context of our struggling social care and palliative care systems. I do not wish to see anyone feel pushed towards assisted dying because they believe they have no other option. This is why I voted for New Clause 16 today (Friday 20th June), which would have ensured certain reasons for choosing assisted dying, such as not wanting to be a burden on others or on public services, or the lack of available treatment, would not qualify someone to receive assisted dying. 

Sadly, New Clause 16 did not pass. NC16 also would have provided that a disability (other than the terminal illness) would not be a qualifying reason for assisted dying. I know many disabled people are really concerned about this bill, especially given the timing alongside massive proposed cuts to our welfare system. I have and will continue to campaign strongly against these welfare cuts.

One of my most significant concerns has been around the availability of palliative care. For people to have a genuine choice with assisted dying, end of life care must be a genuine alternative. This concern was reinforced by my conversations with professionals at Rowcroft Hospice here in Torbay, who many of you may have seen on the national evening news earlier this week. Rowcroft staff overall (and Hospice UK) have not come out formally in support of or against the bill, but have raised concerns about funding issues for palliative care. I have therefore consistently supported amendments which aimed to support palliative care, such as Amendment 30, which would have meant that someone is only eligible for assistance in ending their own life under the Act if they have ‘relevant and available’ palliative care options. 

I also am aware that hospice workers and medical staff are concerned about how assisted dying will be delivered. I further sympathise with the fears of staff who wish to never assist with assisted dying, and will campaign to ensure no one will be involved in the service without their true consent. To deliver assisted dying, I believe we need a bespoke end-of-life service. 

Other concerns included the swathes of this bill which have been left to interpretation of future ministers. Extensive powers have been left to government ministers, which feels dangerous to me.

These were my main concerns, and despite some good amendments to the bill passing throughout the report stage, I was ultimately not completely satisfied by the safeguards in the bill. This led me to vote against the bill. I know many of you share my disappointments in it passing (although I equally sympathise with many reasons for supporting the bill).

However, the bill has not yet become law. It must now go through all the stages it went through in the Commons (first, second and third readings, report stage and committee stage) in the House of Lords; then MPs will get the final say, looking at any changes suggested by the Lords. 

Finally, I would like to thank everyone so much again for your correspondence on this issue. Whether you support my final decision, please know that it was not an easy one to make. I will continue to strongly campaign on issues relating to my safeguarding concerns, from support for disabled people to the adequate funding of palliative care. I will work with colleagues from across the chamber who I know share these views.