Bishop’s Stortford’s MP Josh Dean votes in favour of new law to allow assisted dying

Bishop’s Stortford and Sawbridgeworth’s Labour MP Josh Dean has voted in favour of legalising assisted dying in Friday’s historic House of Commons debate.

He was one of 330 MPs who voted for the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill to become law in England and Wales. There were 275 against, including Conservative leader and North West Essex MP Kemi Badenoch.

The vote came after five hours of impassioned debate during which MPs shared personal stories, while those against called for better end-of-life care.

Having passed its first stage in the Commons, the Bill will be followed by months of parliamentary scrutiny and approval before it becomes law.

Under the legislation, co-sponsored by Kim Leadbeater, the Labour MP for Spen Valley, anyone over 18 in England and Wales with less than six months to live would be given the right to end their own life, if two doctors and a High Court judge agree.

Since the Bill was first proposed, Mr Dean has been meeting Hertford and Stortford constituents to hear their views before making his judgement.

He said: “This is one of the most difficult decisions I have had to consider since I was elected to Parliament in July. I am deeply grateful to everyone who has taken the time to share their thoughts, feelings and personal experiences with me over previous weeks.

“I’ve been heartened by the constructive, compassionate way all those who have contacted me, regardless of their position on this issue, have approached the discussion.”

MPs were given a free vote in an issue that has divided Parliament.

Mr Dean said: “I believe that those facing a terminal diagnosis should have the right to make informed choices about how they wish to approach the end of their lives. For some, the ability to choose the time and way in which they die offers comfort and control in what is often a profoundly distressing time.

“This legislation seeks to provide an option to those who wish to exercise it, without imposing it on anyone who does not.

“I do not believe the law as it stands is fit for purpose. Currently, many of those facing a terminal illness are forced to endure prolonged suffering or travel abroad to seek assistance in dying. This often comes at a significant emotional and financial cost to themselves and their loved ones.

“This Bill offers a compassionate, tightly regulated alternative, ensuring that the most vulnerable are protected while giving agency to those who meet its strict criteria to end their life at a time of their choosing.”

Mr Dean believed there were “robust safeguards” to prevent coercion of vulnerable people.

Labour colleague Chris Vince, the Harlow MP whose constituency includes the Hallingburys, Hatfield Heath and Hatfield Broad Oak, also backed the Bill, saying he believed there were sufficient measures to prevent misuse or abuse.

Their confidence was not shared by their constituency neighbour Kemi Badenoch.

She said: “Despite supporting the principle of assisted dying long before I became an MP, I can’t support today’s Bill.

“It’s rightly a free vote and a matter of conscience for MPs, but the system cannot yet manage the complexity proposed and the Bill is being rushed.”

The debate was the first on the fraught issue in almost 10 years and 170 MPs registered to speak.