Prime Minister Andy Burnham says he will abstain in the next House of Commons vote on a bill to legalise assisted dying in England and Wales. The decision comes after he had previously expressed doubts and argued that other issues, including palliative and social care, need to be addressed first.
The proposed legislation is the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill. Sources say it returns to Parliament after running out of time in the previous session. Outlets report the Bill is scheduled to be debated and put to a vote by MPs in September.
While all accounts focus on Burnham’s plan to abstain rather than oppose or support, they vary slightly in emphasis: some specify the date for the Commons consideration, while others frame the timing as “next month” or “weeks after” his earlier comments. Across the reports, the central points are Burnham’s intention to abstain and the Bill’s reappearance in the Commons during September.
