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Three quarters of Brits support assisted dying bill

Pollsters at YouGov have just released some interesting research about the assisted dying bill.

The legislation is set to be voted on tomorrow by MPs - if passed it will go to the Lords.

It shows that most people in the UK support the principle of assisted dying - and 73% support the measures outlined in the bill being voted on tomorrow.

Some 2,003 people were asked in May how they felt on the topic.

As we mentioned, 75% supported assisted dying in principle, with 14% opposing it and the rest replying "don't know".

This is almost the exact result as in November, when the whole House of Commons voted on the bill.

YouGov also asked people if they supported the legislation in its current form.

For this, 73% said they supported it and 16% said they opposed it.

A YouGov statement said: "Kim Leadbeater's bill has clearly ameliorated the concerns of some sceptical about assisted dying in practice.

"More than seven in ten Britons support the bill as is stands, including 59% of those who say they support assisted dying in principle but oppose it in practice - and 67% who are opposed to the principle of euthanasia but are willing to back it in practice."

MP who introduced assisted dying bill 'confident' it will pass

By Alix Culbertson, political reporter

The politician who introduced the assisted dying bill has said she is "confident" MPs will push it through to the next stage.

Speaking at a news conference ahead of a Commons vote, Kim Leadbeater said: "I do feel confident we can get through tomorrow successfully."

If new amendments are voted through on Friday, the bill to give some terminally ill adults the right to end their lives will get closer to becoming law as it will go through to the next stage in the House of Lords.

Ms Leadbeater, who introduced the bill in October last year, said if MPs do not vote it through on Friday, "it could be another decade before this issue is brought back to parliament".

But she said there was a "good majority" who voted for the bill at the last major vote, the second reading in November, when MPs voted it through by 330 to 275.

"There might be some small movement in the middle, some people might change their mind or will change their mind the other way," she said.

Assisted dying bill does 'not meet needs of patients'

By Ashish Joshi, health correspondent

The Royal College of Psychiatrists' lead on assisted dying has told Sky News she is approaching Friday's vote by MPs "with professional trepidation".

The medical organisation said the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill in its current form did "not meet the needs of patients".

It has also expressed concern over the shortage of qualified psychiatrists to take part in assisted dying panels, concerns around capacity assessment, and whether or not assisted dying will be interpreted as a treatment � because that would have a profound impact on the psychiatrist's decision-making process.

Friday will be the first time the bill has been voted on in its entirety since last year's yes vote, when MPs supported the principle of assisted dying for England and Wales by a majority of 55. MPs are allowed to have a free vote on the bill, meaning they can decide based on their conscience instead of following party lines.

The bill's supporters have said it is coming back to the Commons with better safeguards after more than 90 hours of parliamentary time spent on it to date. But opponents claim the process has been rushed and that changes to the bill mean it is weaker than when it was first introduced.

The proposed legislation would allow terminally ill adults, with fewer than six months to live, to apply for an assisted death, subject to approval by two doctors and a panel featuring a social worker, senior legal figure and psychiatrist.

How would the assisted dying bill work?

Our health correspondent Ashish Joshi has been playing close attention to the twists and turns of the assisted dying bill.

Several changes have been proposed to the legislation on how it could work.

The proposed legislation would allow terminally ill adults, with fewer than six months to live, to apply for an assisted death, subject to approval by two doctors and a panel featuring a social worker, senior legal figure and psychiatrist.

Ashish explains below how the bill could look if it passes today:

Good morning

Welcome back to the Politics Hub.

Today is a big day in Westminster, as the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill - also known as the assisted dying bill - returns to parliament.

The controversial piece of legislation has the potential to clear the Commons later today. If this is the case it will head to the House of Lords for peers to consider.

MPs are today going to vote on a series of amendments that had been proposed, and following that will likely vote on the bill as a whole.

 Safe to say, it's a controversial day. Both sides of the debate have been vocal in support of their arguments.

Proceedings will kick off at 9.30am, and MPs have until 2.30pm to debate.

This is a "free" vote - meaning the government is not telling its MPs which side to support and letting them go with their conscience.

Despite this, Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch last night urged her MPs to vote against what she said is a "bad bill".

Kim Leadbeater, the backbench Labour MP who is proposing the bill, says she is confident the bill will pass today.

Back in November when MPs last voted on it in full, it passed with a majority of 55.

Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy will be speaking to Sky News at 7.15am.

That's all for today

Thank you for joining us for live coverage of today's events in British politics.

Use the key points above for the main moments today, or scroll down for full coverage.

And if you missed tonight's edition of Politics Hub With Sophy Ridge - fear not, for you can watch it in full below.

We'll be back from 6am with the very latest, and live coverage of the final debate and vote in the House of Commons on legislation to legalise assisted dying.

'This is a moment of real danger' in the Middle East, defence secretary warns

Defence Secretary John Healey spoke to broadcasters this afternoon, and he was asked about the situation in the Middle East, and what we are saying to the Trump administration as the president weighs up joining Israeli strikes on Iran.

He replied: "So we've been arguing, like President Trump has, first of all, that the Iranians cannot have a nuclear weapons programme.

"We've been arguing the best way to do that is negotiate, the diplomatic route. That's what we've been urging on Iran, that's what President Trump has been urging on Iran.

"But this is a moment of real danger and uncertainty in the wider region. It's why the prime minister has announced, and as defence secretary I've made sure that those extra military assets are in the region now.

"That's, first and foremost, to protect our own forces, personnel and bases that are in the Middle East, but secondly it's there to reinforce the calls for de-escalation, and reinforce reassurance to allies in the area."

Healey refused to say if the UK would grant the US permission to use the Diego Garcia military base to conduct a strike on Iran.

Why people are praying assisted dying bill passes major vote

By Ashish Joshi, health correspondent

On Friday, the social fabric of England and Wales might be changed forever.

MPs are set to vote on the assisted dying bill and supporters are confident that they have the numbers to win.

But the hugely controversial legislation polarises opinion. Communities remain divided, and medical colleagues can't agree.

Three royal colleges have withdrawn support for the bill in its current form. They want more time to be given for further scrutiny of the legislation.

Frank Sutton does not have time. When we went to Frank's home in East Dulwich, London, last November to watch the vote unfold she already had terminal liver disease and cancer.

As the vote was passed with a majority of 55, Frank broke down in tears and said: "Finally, I can die in peace."

Frank is unlikely to live long enough to see assisted dying introduced in England and Wales. If the legislation passes, it will be introduced in four years.

Lammy and Rubio hold urgent White House talks over Israel-Iran conflict

As we reported earlier, David Lammy is in Washington DC right now to meet with US officials about the Israel-Iran conflict.

One of those meetings was with his American counterpart Marco Rubio, and Donald Trump's Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, which took place a couple of hours ago at the White House.

We've just had a readout from State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce, who said: "They discussed the conflict between Israel and Iran and agreed Iran can never develop or acquire a nuclear weapon.

"They reviewed other key areas of US-UK cooperation, including efforts to bring an end to the Russia-Ukraine war.

"The secretary and Foreign Secretary Lammy also talked about the upcoming NATO Summit and reaffirmed the importance of increased defence spending to secure peace and stability."

Lammy is getting back on his plane shortly to fly to Geneva for talks with his Iranian counterpart about restarting nuclear talks, alongside the French and German foreign ministers.

What are the government's plans to reform welfare?

Liz Kendall, the welfare secretary, has set out proposals to cut £5bn from the welfare budget - which she has said is "unsustainable" and "trapping people in welfare dependency".

Disabled people claiming PIP, the personal independence payment which helps people - some of them working - with the increased costs of daily living, face having their awards reviewed from the end of next year.

An estimated 800,000 current and future PIP recipients will lose an average of £4,500 a year, according to a government assessment.

Ministers say 90% of current claimants will not lose their benefits; and that many people will be better off.

To keep the benefit, claimants must score a minimum of four points out of eight on one of the daily living criteria.

Ministers say claimants with the most serious conditions, who cannot work, will not face constant reassessments.

A £1bn programme is proposed, intended to give disabled people who can work tailored support to find jobs.

The Work Capability Assessment (WCA), which determines if a person is fit for work, will be scrapped in 2028, with financial support for people who are sick or disabled determined solely through the PIP assessment.

Ms Kendall described the current WCA system as "complex" and "time-consuming" for people trying to apply.

The government also intends to freeze the health element of Universal Credit, claimed by more than two million people, at £97 a week during this parliament, and cut the rate to £50 for new claimants.

Other reforms include:

  • Merging jobseeker's allowance and employment and support allowance;
  • Raising the standard universal credit allowance by £775 in 2029/30;
  • Introducing a "right to try" initiative so people who want to attempt to get back into work won't lose their benefits while they do.