MPs have voted against legalising assisted dying in England and Wales, rejecting a fresh attempt to change the law on end-of-life care and sparking emotional scenes from campaigners on both sides outside Parliament.

Following an intense debate in which MPs shared personal stories, the House of Commons voted 286 to 270 on Friday to refuse the proposed legislation a second reading, a majority of 16 against. MPs were given a free vote on the issue, allowing them to vote according to their conscience rather than along party lines.

The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, tabled by Labour MP Lauren Edwards, would have allowed adults with fewer than six months to live to apply for medical assistance to end their lives. Under the draft legislation, applicants would have required approval from two doctors and an expert panel.

The outcome halts the measure's progress through Parliament. Edwards, the Labour MP for Rochester and Strood, argued after the vote that the issue would return, saying: "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."

This was the second major attempt to change the law in recent years, following hundreds of hours of parliamentary debate on an issue that would have represented one of the biggest societal changes in modern Britain. A similar bill introduced by Labour MP Kim Leadbeater cleared the Commons on 20 June 2025 with a majority of 23, but stalled in the House of Lords after peers submitted more than 1,200 amendments.

Edwards brought forward the new legislation in a bid to allow the process to conclude, but Friday's vote rules out any change to the law in the short term. Leadbeater told the BBC that supporters could make another attempt as soon as next year in the next parliamentary session.

The debate in the Commons highlighted how several minds had changed since the previous vote. Labour MP Janet Daby told MPs she had decided to vote against the legislation despite previously supporting it, explaining she had experienced nightmares and wrestled with her decision after backing the earlier bill.

The result drew strong reactions from campaigners gathered in Parliament Square and from figures across the country. Broadcaster Dame Esther Rantzen, who is 86 and terminally ill with cancer, told the BBC it was "so sad that people in this country won't have the choice" available to terminally ill adults elsewhere, having previously explained that she is now "too physically fragile" to travel to an assisted suicide clinic in Switzerland.

Sarah Wootton, chief executive of the campaign group Dignity in Dying, said following the vote that "thousands of terminally ill people will continue to suffer against their wishes in their last days and weeks."

Opponents of the bill welcomed the Commons decision, reiterating concerns that the proposed safeguards did not offer sufficient protection against coercion. Labour MPs Ashley Dalton, Dame Meg Hillier and Jess Asato described the proposals as "unsafe and unworkable" in a joint statement, stating that "none of the relevant royal medical colleges, professional groups or experts will attest to the safety or workability of this bill" and calling for improvements to NHS palliative care.

What we do not know yet is the exact timetable or form that any future assisted dying legislation might take when the next parliamentary session begins. I'll be following this one — check back for updates as developments unfold.