Latest news with #JamesFrith
Channel 4
15-05-2025
- Health
- Channel 4
Assisted dying: MPs wrestle with decision that could echo through history
The assisted dying bill returns to parliament on Friday after months of scrutiny by a committee of MPs, but its future is still uncertain. Last November MPs voted narrowly in favour of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill , with a majority of 55. A number of changes have been made to the proposed law in recent months – causing MPs on both sides of the debate to question whether they will change how they previously voted. Friday (May 16) will be the first time all MPs – not just those on the committee scrutinising the bill – will have to propose amendments. A final vote could take place next month. The bill, introduced by backbench Labour MP Kim Leadbeater, proposes that terminally ill adults in England and Wales would have the right to end their lives if they are expected to die within six months, have the mental capacity to make the choice and be deemed to have expressed a clear, settled and informed wish, free from coercion or pressure. More than 500 amendments have been considered by the bill committee, some drawing significantly more attention. Originally it was proposed that each request to end a life would have to be approved by a High Court judge. 'I'm not a big fan of the decision on death by a panel. That doesn't give me assurance.' – James Frith MP Due to pre-existing pressures on the judiciary, an amendment was adopted to replace the role of a judge with a three-person panel featuring a senior legal figure, a psychiatrist and a social worker to review applications. Kim Leadbeater believes that the introduction of a panel strengthens the bill and makes the process more robust. Critics, however, say it removes a crucial element of safeguarding. Labour MP James Frith (Bury North) said: 'You've got a panel because it's [the committee] flushed out the ineffective planning of the bill in the first place. That doesn't fill me with confidence. I'm not a big fan of the decision on death by a panel. That doesn't give me assurance.' 'We've obviously got another month before that final vote, and I'll again have those sleepless nights and a lot of thought will go into it, but I think that the bill is in a much stronger position, certainly.' – Jack Abbott MP Other MPs feel the bill is in a far better position than it previously was. Labour MP Jack Abbott (Ipswich) previously voted against the bill at second reading. He said: 'Do I think the bill is in a much better place after committee stage? I do. Do I think that the bill could be implemented effectively, but most importantly, safely? Then, yes, I do as well. 'So that's the position I'm in at the moment. We've obviously got another month before that final vote, and I'll again have those sleepless nights and a lot of thought will go into it, but I think that the bill is in a much stronger position, certainly.' 'Right now, my quality of life has got to the stage where I've had enough. I want the option there to have assisted dying.' – Emma Bray For some families a possible change of law cannot come soon enough. Doctors believe that Emma Bray has a year to live. She is just 42 years old, but in the last few years Motor Neurone Disease (MND) has had a devastating impact on her body, and the lives of her children. She is wheelchair bound, barely able to move and talking is difficult. Fearing how painful her death may be, this summer – after her daughter finishes her GCSE exams – she plans to end her own life by refusing her medication, food and liquids. She said: ' No one wants to live like this. Right now, my quality of life has got to the stage where I've had enough. I want the option there to have assisted dying. 'I might not go through with it – I might not be able to because of the children. But at the moment, not having the choice makes me very angry.' Her daughter Ada, 16, said: 'For me, it [assisted dying] would have given me peace of mind. People ask me if I've got plans for the summer, because I've got the longest summer holidays of my life. 'But I don't know what's going to be happening, because I don't know if my mum will be dead or not. And I think just having peace of mind would make the world of difference, really. But assisted dying is not legal.' Campaigners fear legalising assisted dying in England and Wales will be a backwards step for disabilities groups. Sue Elsegood has a neurodegenerative condition and can no longer breathe or cough on her own, has to wear a ventilator mask at all times, and requires around the clock assistance. She is also a trained counsellor and has a very full life. She said: 'I think people that don't know me might actually feel sorry for me. They may imagine that I've got a very limited life, but I do all sorts of exciting things. I take part in, like drama. I've even done sport in the past. I've been part of a football team, a power chair football team.' 'My gut feeling is that it's a slippery slope. I feel that society may value our lives less if this became law.' – Sue Elsegood Sue has ' serious doubts' about the proposed law change. She said: 'My gut feeling is that it's a slippery slope. I feel things could get watered down. More and more people could filter into the criteria and the safeguards would just wash away, because I am good, fearful, to be honest, I feel that society may value our lives less if this became law.' With a majority of just 55 it would only require 28 MPs to change her minds in the final vote for the bill to be defeated. Parliamentary groups on both side of the debate say it is impossible to tell at the moment how the final vote will go because the margins are so tight – both say it could be the number of MPs that abstain from voting that could prove pivotal. Some laws pass with little fanfare, some become defining moments in how a government is remembered. MPs are wrestling with a decision right now that could echo through British history. If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this report, you can find support and advice on the Channel 4 website . Watch more here: UK MPs vote to legalise assisted dying bill – what happens next? Assisted dying: MPs on both sides react to bill passing Where does the rest of the world stand on assisted dying?
ITV News
28-04-2025
- Politics
- ITV News
Calls for new football regulator to be based in Bury where sport is 'woven into the fabric'
A town which saw its football club disbanded after financial issues should be the base for the sport's proposed new regulator, its MPs have said. Bury FC were kicked out of the Football League in 2019 after a takeover bid collapsed, leaving the club heavily in debt and sparking calls for a regulator to make sure teams are being run properly. The creation of the regulator is at the heart of the Football Governance Bill, which is due to undergo its second reading in the House of Commons. Bury has now been put forward as the home of the regulator by MP James Frith, who says the "trauma" the town felt "when we faced a no-fan-fault eviction from the Football League... will never been forgotten". The letter is co-signed by Bury South MP Christian Wakeford and Eamonn O'Brien, the leader of Bury Council. In a letter to Lisa Nandy MP, the Culture, Media and Sport Secretary, he said: "We believe Bury is the perfect location for the new football regulator. "As with so many of our great English towns, football is woven into the fabric of Bury. Across the borough we represent four non-league clubs Bury FC, Radcliffe FC, Ramsbottom United and Prestwich Heys. "In Bury we've the resolve and determination you should expect from this new regulator in its quest to protect the beautiful game now and in the future." An independent regulator was the key recommendation of the 2021 fan-led review of football - which led to the Football Governance Bill - commissioned by the Conservative Government in the wake of the European Super League scandal. Its progress through Parliament was interrupted when the General Election was called in summer 2024, but the new Labour Government has picked up the baton. One of the regulator's key early tasks will be to produce a 'State of the Game' review examining football's financial flows, including the controversial parachute payments made to clubs relegated from the Premier League. The bill is back in the House of Commons after it cleared the House of Lords in March on its journey to becoming law. Changes made by the Government to the Bill, in response to concerns raised in the Lords, included placing a duty on the regulator to avoid having a negative impact on the financial growth of English football as well as investment. It also introduced an amendment that would make a club's contribution to the economic and social well-being of its local community part of its corporate governance. And ministers indicated the regulator could eventually be expanded to include women's football. David Kogan has been selected as the Government's preferred candidate to chair the new regulator. Kogan, who has previously advised the Premier League and the EFL on television rights deals in a 45-year career as a media executive, business leader and corporate advisor, is now set to head up the watchdog intended to ensure football clubs in the top five tiers are financially sustainable. The regulator is also crucially set to have 'backstop' powers to impose a financial settlement between the leagues if they cannot agree one. Want more on the issues effecting the North? Our podcast, From the North answers the questions that matter to our region.
The Independent
02-04-2025
- Health
- The Independent
Assisted dying Bill process ‘thorough' says MP as colleague brands it ‘a mess'
An opponent of assisted dying has claimed a growing number of his Labour colleagues are 'deeply concerned' at the Bill's progress through Parliament as the MP behind it dismissed criticism of the scrutiny process as 'utter nonsense'. Kim Leadbeater said the Bill had been through an 'intense' and 'thorough' two months of line-by-line scrutiny, and had emerged from the process 'even stronger, safer and more effective'. But her party colleague James Frith, who opposed the Bill at its first vote last year, branded the proposed legislation 'a mess' with 'massive holes'. The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill returns to the House of Commons this month for further debate, significantly changed from the one presented to MPs at the historic November vote. The High Court safeguard has been dropped and replaced by expert panels, while the implementation period has been doubled to a maximum of four years for an assisted dying service to be in place should the Bill pass into law. Eligibility remains with only terminally ill adults in England and Wales with fewer than six months to live. The Bill proposes someone fitting this criteria should be legally allowed to end their lives, subject to approval by two doctors and an expert panel featuring a social worker, senior legal figure and psychiatrist. The Bill's return to the Commons follows a committee process hailed by supporters as having strengthened proposed legislation and made it more workable, but which opponents have claimed was rushed and chaotic. MPs are expected to vote on further amendments to the Bill at report stage on April 25. If time allows, MPs could also vote on whether to approve the Bill at third reading – its final stage in the Commons – and decide if it is then sent to the House of Lords for further scrutiny. Voting is according to conscience so MPs do not vote along party lines on this issue. Ms Leadbeater said MPs have a 'duty as parliamentarians to change the law now', when asked about the prospect of her Bill not passing. She was asked about suggestions an attempt to change the law could return in the form of a royal commission or government legislation, should MPs vote against her Bill in the coming weeks. Referring to the last time an assisted dying Bill was debated and voted on in the Commons in 2015, which ended in defeat, she said it would be 'such a tragedy' if the conversation ended now and the subject was not revisited for another decade. She said: 'What worries me is, if the Bill doesn't pass, the conversation ends, and that would be really dreadful for so many people, for so many reasons.' Speaking at a press conference on the Bill which has been republished to incorporate the series of amendments made at committee stage, former director of public prosecutions Sir Max Hill described this as a 'once-in-a-lifetime' chance for much-needed change. He said: 'It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, a once-in-a-generation opportunity, for parliamentarians of 2025 to say that – with all respect to where their predecessors were 60 years ago – they have found a better way which is going to improve the outcome for some of the most vulnerable people in society without… opening the door to a gradual broadening of the categories of people to whom this Act applies.' He said the 'dial has turned' in the public debate on the issue, adding: 'We cannot go back.' Sir Max added: 'There is time for anyone on receipt of the republished Bill to really consider it carefully – kicking this can down the road really is no solution for anybody.' Ms Leadbeater described criticism of the scrutiny process of her Bill, including that it would be rushed and not be subject to proper debate or amendments, as 'utter nonsense'. She said: 'We have spent hours and hours and hours on this work. Colleagues have dedicated huge amounts of time and energy to this, and we've now got important changes to make the Bill stronger. And I hope today that is very clear for everybody to see.' But Mr Frith said a 'growing number of Labour MPs are deeply concerned that the Bill's progress is carrying on regardless'. He added: 'The Bill as it stands is a mess, with significant issues of concern where there had been promises of scrutiny and improvement.' He raised concerns around the 'unaddressed risk of coercion' and the removal of High Court protections. He said: 'It is alarming that supporters of assisted dying are now presenting the flawed committee stage as an example of successful scrutiny.' But domestic abuse expert and cancer sufferer Lesley Storey, said she believes the Bill 'provides a scaffolding of safeguarding that currently isn't happening' with regard to coercive control. The chief executive of domestic abuse support service My Sister's Place told the press conference: 'The bottom line is, safeguards are absolutely baked into this Bill'. Supporters have highlighted the requirement in the Bill for specific training for clinicians to assess whether someone has been coerced or pressured by another person. MP and disability rights advocate Marie Tidball, who secured amendments to ensure the establishment of independent advocates to support people with learning disabilities, autism or mental health conditions and to set up a disability advisory board confirmed she would vote yes again at the third reading, feeling assured safeguards have been strengthened. She told the press conference: 'I can say, as someone who has looked at legislative scrutiny over the course of the last 20 years, this is the most extraordinary, deliberative cross-party process I've ever seen.' As well as criticism from MPs opposed to the Bill, the leader of Catholics in England and Wales Cardinal Vincent Nichols criticised the 'deeply flawed process' by which he said the Bill was progressing, as he urged parishioners to write to their representatives and urge them to vote no. Former MP Caroline Ansell, who is now director of advocacy and policy at Christian Action Research and Education and is opposed to the Bill, called for a 'better conversation about truly life-affirming forms of support for dying people' and that the country 'can do better than assisted suicide'. An impact assessment is expected to be published before the Bill returns to the Commons, with a minster previously saying efforts are being made to ensure MPs have 'ample time' to look at it in advance of their next vote. Impact assessments look at economic, social and environmental impacts of Bills, including the likely costs and benefits and the associated risks. Health Secretary Wes Streeting has previously suggested it could cost the NHS more if assisted dying is brought in.
The Independent
27-01-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
AI copyright rules ‘threaten to rip rug from under' artists, warns MP
Proposed copyright rules for AI models have left creators 'alarmed', a Labour MP who once played Glastonbury has warned. James Frith, a former member of the band Finka, warned ministers that their plan to let artificial intelligence models mine text and data 'threatens to rip the rug from under' artists. According to a Government consultation pack, ministers could introduce an exception to copyright law for 'text data and mining', which would 'improve access to content by AI developers' but also let creators reserve their rights. Pete Wishart, SNP MP for Perth and Kinross-shire, apologised to culture minister Sir Chris Bryant when he said 'nobody believes' the proposal would support both the AI and creative sectors. Mr Frith said the Government's proposal had left artists 'confused, alarmed and deeply concerned'. He warned: 'This threatens to rip the rug from under our prized sector with proposed, sweeping changes to copyright law. 'Creators see it for what it is – an upheaval of the copyright protections they depend on, threatening lasting damage to the sector. 'Copyright doesn't inspire hit songs, smash-hit movies or classical texts, but it is the lifeblood of our creative industries. It's what feeds investment, enables musicians, writers, actors, designers and businesses large and small to earn a living from their work.' The MP for Bury North later said: 'AI holds exciting potential to help consumers discover and engage with creative works, but to forfeit the humanity it takes, suggesting AI can replace what it takes, insults and will ultimately cost those who pour their lives into this craft, as well as those of us who love to soak it all up.' Conservative former culture secretary Sir John Whittingdale also criticised the proposal, which he said 'reverses what has long been the case that people can rely upon the protection of their rights unless they choose to give it up'. He added: 'They shouldn't have to come along and ask that their right should be protected, which is what an opting-out system entails.' Sir John also warned of a 'huge burden' on small rights holders such as individual photographers. After Sir John described 'alarm' at the Government's proposed exception to copyright law, Sir Chris intervened in his speech and told the Commons: 'We are consulting. We have not decided, we are consulting. It's a consultation, not the second reading of a Bill.' Conservative MP Dame Caroline Dinenage, who chairs the Commons Culture, Media and Sport Committee, said she felt 'gaslit' by the Government's response to her questions about its AI consultation. She said the proposed opt-out model for copyright holders – similar to a system adopted by the European Union – 'doesn't work'. Allison Gardner, Labour MP for Stoke-on-Trent South, warned that the policy 'risks creating a future of fool's gold data as our creative industry loses control of its ownership to their work and moves elsewhere or just simply gives up'. She urged MPs to imagine the UK had not data but 'vast reserves of gold' and asked: 'What should we do? 'Would we look at gold-hungry organisations and give it away to them for free in the hope they will invest in the UK? I should hope not.' Mr Wishart, who is a member of the cross-party band MP4 which also includes former MPs Ian Cawsey, Sir Greg Knight and Kevin Brennan, said: 'I know they think they've got an idea and a solution which somehow supports both the AI sector and the creative industries sector, but there's nobody who actually believes that, sorry minister. 'There's no one who could go along with this idea that somehow we open up the nation's creative work to be scraped and to be mined, that would ever get us to the situation where this could ever be possibly useful for the creative industries, and I don't think it would be useful for the AI sector either.' He continued: 'They're in an economic mess and they're looking to grab at anything that will give them any sort of comfort and AI is obviously one of the areas that they've identified that might bring this promised growth, and given them some sort of confidence and reassurance that what they're trying to do with the economy might actually get to where they're seeking to take it. 'What we cannot do is just to be obsessively fixated with all of this, to the cost of so much of our heritage and culture. And where it's right that this Government does pursue with AI, what it's got to do is to take a balanced approach. It has got to look after the interests of our nation's creative and artists.'
