How did North East & North Yorkshire MPs vote on assisted dying bill?

A total of 330 MPs voted for the bill and 275 voted against. Credit: PA Images

A narrow majority of MPs in the North East and North Yorkshire have voted against a bill that would legalise assisted dying for people who are terminally ill in England and Wales.

A total of 330 MPs voted for the bill and 275 voted against, meaning it will move to the next stage of scrutiny in Parliament.

In a breakdown of results from 36 regional MPs, 17 voted FOR and 19 voted AGAINST.

Former Prime Minister and Richmond and Northallerton MP Rishi Sunak had not previously declared how he would vote but voted in favour of the bill, saying he believed it would help to “reduce suffering”.

Writing for the Darlington and Stockton Times, Mr Sunak said: “I believe that, where possible, we should prevent suffering. I know from speaking and listening to many of you, that too many people have to go through painful, traumatic, drawn-out deaths. These moving, deeply personal stories have left a profound impression on me."

Mr Sunak described himself as a “religious person” and said he understood the “deep moral and philosophical concerns that many people have about this issue”.

But he added: “I also come from a medical family and this question divides opinion among my own relatives. So, it is important to stress that any medical practitioner who has moral, religious or philosophical objections to this change will have the right not to be involved in this aspect of care.”

York Central MP Rachael Maskell is among those who have spoken against the assisted dying bill in the House of Commons.

Speaking in the Commons, she argued it "falls woefully short on safeguarding patients" and is "the wrong and rushed answer to a complex problem".

Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson also voted against.

The bill in brief:

The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, brought forward by Labour backbencher Kim Leadbeater, would allow adults with less than six months left to live the choice of taking their own lives.

For a person to be eligible under the proposed law, they must also be aged 18 or older and have the mental capacity to make the choice, which must be signed off by at least two doctors and a High Court judge.

The result does not mean the bill will become law yet. There are several more stages that the bill will have to go through first, meaning it will be months before a definitive conclusion is reached.

MPs began voting on the bill just after 2pm, following a four-and-a-half hour debate - the first of its kind in the House of Commons since 2015.

Here is a list of how MPs in the North East and North Yorkshire voted:

  • Luke Akehurst - North Durham, Labour FOR

  • Lewis Atkinson - Sunderland Central, Labour FOR

  • Jonathan Brash - Hartlepool, Labour FOR

  • Sir Alan Campbell - Tynemouth, Labour FOR

  • Luke Charters - York Outer, Labour FOR

  • Mark Ferguson - Gateshead Central & Whickham, Labour FOR

  • Emma Foody - Cramlington & Killingworth, Labour FOR

  • Mary Kelly Foy - City of Durham, Labour AGAINST

  • Mary Glindon - Newcastle East & Wallsend, Labour AGAINST

  • Tom Gordon - Harrogate & Knaresborough, Lib Dem FOR

  • Sharon Hodgson - Washington & Gateshead South, Labour FOR

  • Kevin Hollinrake - Thirsk & Malton, Conservative FOR

  • Alison Hume - Scarborough & Whitby, Labour FOR

  • Ian Lavery - Blyth & Ashington, Labour AGAINST

  • Emma Lewell-Buck - South Shields, Labour AGAINST

  • Andy McDonald - Middlesbrough & Thornaby East, Labour AGAINST

  • Chris McDonald - Stockton North, Labour AGAINST

  • Lola McEvoy - Darlington, Labour AGAINST

  • Rachael Maskell - York Central, Labour AGAINST

  • Keir Mather - Selby, Labour FOR

  • Catherine McKinnell - Newcastle North, Labour AGAINST

  • Grahame Morris - Easington, Labour AGAINST

  • Joe Morris - Hexham, Labour FOR

  • Luke Myer - Middlesbrough South & East Cleveland, Labour FOR

  • Chi Onwurah - Newcastle Central & West, Labour AGAINST

  • Kate Osborne - Jarrow & Gateshead East, Labour FOR

  • Bridget Phillipson - Houghton & Sunderland South, Labour AGAINST

  • Sam Rushworth - Bishop Auckland, Labour AGAINST

  • Sir Alec Shelbrooke - Wetherby & Easingwold, Conservative AGAINST

  • David Smith - North Northumberland, Labour AGAINST

  • Sir Julian Smith - Skipton & Ripon, Conservative AGAINST

  • Alan Strickland - Newton Aycliffe & Spennymoor, Labour AGAINST

  • Rishi Sunak - Richmond & Northallerton, Conservative FOR

  • Anna Turley - Redcar, Labour FOR

  • Liz Twist - Blaydon & Consett, Labour AGAINST

  • Matt Vickers - Stockton West, Conservative AGAINST

What else have MPs said?

Joe Morris MP for Hexham said, "The bill would be “offering choice and providing dignity for those whom palliative care can no longer meet the needs of”.

David Smith MP for North Northumberland said he feared allowing the bill would “shift the role of the NHS from being a protector of life to an enabler of death”.

Emma Foody MP for Cramlington and Killingworth wrote: “I believe people have the right to personal freedom and liberty over their own bodies and they should be able to make informed decisions on matters impacting their own body and life.”

Chi Onwurah MP for Newcastle Central and West felt the bill was “flawed” and the safeguards, guidance and processes in place were “not enough”

And Mary Kelly Foy MP for the City of Durham spoke in the House of Commons during the debate: “My daughter Maria lived her life with severe disabilities and health conditions. Since her birth, she and we were told many times that she might have only six months to live.

“Crucially, Maria was non-verbal, and I am filled with dread and fear for those other people like Maria who are non-verbal and don’t have that capacity, and what might happen to others like Maria if they aren’t loved and cared for and have somebody speaking out for them.”

Labour MP Kim Leadbeater formally introduced her Bill to give choice at the end of life for the terminally ill in October. Credit: ITV News

The last time MPs voted on the issue in 2015, the bill was defeated by 330 votes to 118, but the composition of the Commons has significantly changed since then following this year's general election with more Labour MPs sitting.

Assisted dying is currently banned in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, with a maximum prison sentence of 14 years.

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