Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill: New Clause 1

What happened: On 13 June 2025, the House of Commons voted on New Clause 1 to the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, which proposed adding further safeguards or restrictions to the assisted dying framework set out in the Bill. The clause was defeated by 256 votes to 230, a margin of 26. The vote was a free vote, meaning MPs were not whipped by their party leaders and voted according to personal conscience.

Why it matters: The defeat of New Clause 1 means that the additional safeguards or restrictions it proposed will not be incorporated into the Bill at this stage. The Bill, which would create a legal framework for assisted dying for terminally ill adults in England and Wales, continues its parliamentary passage without these additional provisions. The outcome affects how tightly regulated any future assisted dying system would be, with implications for terminally ill patients, medical professionals, and those concerned about the potential for vulnerable people to face pressure.

The politics: This was a cross-cutting vote that did not follow party lines. Labour MPs split sharply, with 111 voting for the clause and 166 against. Conservatives backed the clause by a wide margin of 68 to 13. Liberal Democrats were predominantly opposed, voting 47 to 13 against. Smaller parties broadly supported the clause, including all five DUP MPs and a majority of Reform UK members, while the four Green MPs all voted against. The vote sits within a broader and ongoing series of contested divisions on the Bill, with further amendments voted on in late June 2025 producing similarly close and divided results.