EXCLUSIVE Assisted dying vote 'on a knife-edge' as another MP now says they'll vote against new laws - despite previously backing Kim Leadbeater's Bill

Daily Mail​

28-05-2025

Another MP who previously backed assisted dying laws has now said they will vote against the legislation when it returns to the House of Commons.
In a recent letter to a constituent, seen by MailOnline, Liberal Democrat MP Brian Mathew wrote that he was 'minded to vote against the Bill' at its third reading.
He added that several of his concerns about the legislation had so far been 'inadequately answered'.
This included his worry that those who are terminally ill might apply to end their lives because they feel a 'burden' on their families.
Dr Mathew, MP for Melksham and Devizes, is among more than 15 MPs to have altered their stance on assisted dying laws since an initial Commons vote.
Opponents of the Bill have said there is now a high chance of the Bill being defeated in a 'knife-edge' Commons vote next month.
An analysis by campaigners has revealed that only two more MPs will need to move from backing the Bill to voting against it for the legislation to fall at its third reading.
At the end of November last year, the Commons backed the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill by 330 votes to 275, a majority of 55 votes.
The Bill, being spearheaded by Labour's Kim Leadbeater, aims to allow terminally ill adults in England and Wales - with less than six months to live - to legally end their lives.
Despite it initially winning MPs' support, opponents of the legislation claim momentum has now moved against the Bill as it continues its passage through Parliament.
The Bill's third reading is expected to be held on either 13 or 20 June, when the Commons will decide whether to approve or reject the overall Bill and whether to send it on to the House of Lords.
Lord Stewart Jackson, the former Tory MP and an opponent of the Bill, said: 'It does feel like things have changed in regards to the Leadbeater Bill.
'There is now a steady stream of MPs flipping against the Bill and, if this continues, it looks like it will be a knife-edge vote next month.'
Conservative MP Andrew Rosindell said the analysis 'corresponds with the conversations I've been having with many colleagues who voted for the Bill at second reading but are now having doubts'.
'Momentum is against Leadbeater's Bill and there is every reason to believe we can defeat it at third reading,' the Romford MP added.
According to the analysis, nine MPs who previously backed the Bill in November have since withdrawn their support - including eight who will now actively vote against it.
A further six MPs who did not vote in November have now said they will vote against the Bill, while there are two MPs who voted for the Bill in November but are now undecided.
In his letter to a constituent, Dr Mathew said he was sharing his position on the Bill after 'months of conversations with constituents, campaigners, friends, family members and colleagues, as well as deep, personal reflection'.
He said: 'At the second reading in November, I voted in favour of progressing the bill as I felt that the committee should have the time and opportunity to scrutinise and improve the Bill.
'Coming to the third reading, I am minded to vote against the Bill, as I have several concerns I feel have been inadequately answered by the report stage, which is when the Bill is re-considered in the House of Commons following the work of the committee stage.
'Although the Bill's proposers and the committee have done an impressive piece of technical work, and I am grateful that my suggestion of the inclusion of a social worker has been adopted, I still find myself asking whether this is enough?
'I share the concerns of many constituents that individuals facing terminal illness will take the decision based on concerns that they have become a burden upon their family.
'This is a serious concern for me; I worry that in someone's final days, this question will loom heavy when it does not need to.
'The intimate setting of bedside care should be a time to be surrounded by loved ones, but this bill risks inviting interference of the judicial process into the delicate and pressing needs of the end of life where many, who will be unlikely to have considered assisted dying, may now face worries from it.
'Additionally, we must be honest, the current state of end-of-life care cannot be described as optimal.
'The provision of hospices across our country is patchy at best, which means that for some, an assisted death might be seen as the preferred option, not as a last resort to be used when palliative care cannot alleviate pain.'
Dr Mathew added that a 'properly supported palliative care system much of the problem that this Bill seeks to deal with goes away'.