Prime Minister Andy Burnham has stated that he will not vote in the upcoming House of Commons vote on the assisted dying bill to “overly influence the debate,” as he wrote in a letter to the Parliamentary Labour Party.
Burnham, who is a Catholic, noted that he does not wish to “overly influence the debate” in his role as prime minister and has therefore decided that it is “most appropriate” for him not to vote next month. The “Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life)” bill, which failed to be considered due to lack of time during the last parliamentary session, is set to return to the House of Commons on September 11.
The bill proposes allowing adults in England and Wales who have less than six months to live to apply for assisted dying, subject to approval by two doctors and an expert panel. It was first introduced by Labour MP Kim Leadbeater in 2024 as a private member’s bill but failed to pass in the House of Lords in April due to insufficient time for its approval before Parliament was prorogued that month. The bill passed two votes in the House of Commons, although during the second vote in 2025, the majority in favor was reduced to 23 votes compared to the previous majority of 55.
Prime Minister’s position and government neutrality
In a letter to the Parliamentary Labour Party, Burnham wrote: “I, of course, have my own personal views on this issue. However, I also clearly understand that this is a matter for Parliament to decide, and my role as prime minister will be to lead a government that implements the will of Parliament in this area—whether that means changing the law or not. I also do not want to overly influence the debate as prime minister and want every colleague to know that this is truly a free vote. For these reasons, I have decided that it is most appropriate for me not to vote during the second reading.”
Burnham, who was previously not a member of the House of Commons and therefore did not have a vote on the bill, last month stated that he believed the issue of palliative care funding needed to be addressed before considering the legalization of assisted dying. The prime minister, who has previously stated that he has changed his views over the years and now supports the principle of assisted dying, said in July that it is “very difficult” to discuss this issue in the context of problems with the end-of-life care system.
At the time, he said: “I think these debates—and I’m not saying they shouldn’t happen at some point—personally, I think something else has to happen first. That is resolving the issue of palliative and social care funding. I think it is very difficult to start the wider debate in the context of people not getting that care and not having the confidence that they will get the care they need.”
Reaction from bill sponsors
Lauren Edwards, who reintroduced the assisted dying bill, welcomed Andy Burnham’s plan to maintain the government’s neutral position on the legislation. However, Edwards, responding to these comments last month, insisted that there is time to improve end-of-life care before an assisted dying service could come into effect under the law she proposed. She stated: “Improving social and palliative care and providing choice in the final weeks of life for a dying person can and should go hand in hand.”
In a letter to the Parliamentary Labour Party on Friday, Burnham confirmed that the government “remains neutral on the issue of assisted dying and on the passage of the bill,” and noted that the question of changing the law “is a matter for Parliament.” He added that there is “no single right position” on this issue and expressed “deep respect for MPs on all sides and for the expertise they bring to these debates.”
Edwards said she welcomed the prime minister’s confirmation of the government’s unchanged neutral position and that MPs can vote according to their conscience, not along party lines. She said: “Andy Burnham is absolutely right to say that people’s personal experiences of terminal illness underpin the debate, and I welcome his view that everyone’s views should be treated with dignity and respect. This is the approach I will take, and I look forward to the very important debates in two weeks.”
Source: The Independent UK
