MPs have rejected an attempt to legalise assisted dying in England and Wales, defeating the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill by 16 votes.
The bill prompted more than four hours of intensely argued speeches in the House of Commons in London, with MPs setting out deeply held positions both for and against the proposal.
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It was defeated by 286 votes to 270.
As the result was announced, a small number of MPs cheered and raised their fists in celebration, while others embraced in the chamber.
Labour MP Lauren Edwards had brought the bill back to Parliament after it ran out of time earlier this year.
She called the result “hugely disappointing” and “heartbreaking” for terminally ill people and their families.
“Assisted Dying will come in this country, as it is already doing all across the world, but not soon enough.
“Parliament has dropped the ball today. It will be picked up again as it must be, because the law as it stands is simply too cruel and too unjust to be allowed to stand,” Ms Edwards said.
Before the vote, she cautioned that a further parliamentary debate on the issue could be delayed by another decade if the bill failed.
British Prime Minister Andy Burnham said he would not take part in the vote, explaining that he did not want to “unduly influence the debate”.
The government remained neutral, leaving MPs to vote according to their consciences instead of party instructions.
Opponents of the bill protested outside the Houses of Parliament in London
Those campaigning against the bill said its safeguards were not strong enough and warned that vulnerable people could face pressure to seek an assisted death because they believed themselves to be a burden.
The leader of the Catholic Church in England and Wales, Archbishop Richard Moth, had also opposed the proposal, calling it “wrong in principle” and “deeply flawed”.
Archbishop of Canterbury Sarah Mullally, the senior figure in the Church of England, was among its other opponents.
Medical organisations, including the Royal College of Psychiatrists, had expressed “serious concerns”, arguing that the bill left “too many unanswered questions about the safeguarding of people with mental illness”.
Terminally ill MP Ashley Dalton, who voted against the measure, said the result was “not a moment for celebration” and urged the government to “sort out social and palliative care”.
Mr Burnham had previously said palliative care funding needed to be addressed before lawmakers considered legalising assisted dying.
Ms Edwards, however, maintained that the two priorities could be pursued at the same time.
Labour MP Lauren Edwards reintroduced the bill after it ran out of time earlier this year
Marie Curie, Hospice UK and St Christopher’s Hospice charity did not take a position on the principle of assisted dying.
But the organisations repeatedly highlighted what they described as uneven access to end-of-life care across England and Wales, alongside a sector facing severe funding shortages.
“The need for more urgent and ambitious action to fix end-of-life care could not be clearer,” the organisations said.
After the vote, Hospice UK’s Toby Porter urged supporters and opponents of the bill to “channel their energy and passion into fixing” what he called a “hospice funding crisis”.
He added: “The prime minister has recently stated the need to fix palliative care funding. His support is welcome, but his words must now be accompanied by meaningful action.”
