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Adebate thatMPMPMPMPMPMPMPMPYour browser does not support the element. had shown the best of Westminster, passionate and thoughtful, ended in a fittingly respectful manner. There were no loud cheers when, on November 29th, the speaker of the House of Commons announced that s had in England and Wales. Not only would any celebrations have been insensitive, they would also have been premature. The bill, put forward by a Labour backbencher, Kim Leadbeater, must pass through many more stages before it can become law.It will now move to the committee stage, where it will be reviewed by a group of s with divergent views. These s can propose amendments; unusually for a private member’s bill, the committee will also be able to gather its own evidence. The bill will then advance to the report stage, in which all s can debate and vote on amendments. At a third reading of the bill, opponents could still put forward an amendment to defeat it. If it continues to be voted through, it will have to navigate a similar process in the House of Lords before the end of this session of Parliament (or risk having to start all over again).Whatever happens next, a majority of 55 at second reading is almost certain to diminish rather than grow. “I spoke to s that hadn’t made their minds up minutes before the vote was called,” says Chris Webb, a Labour . Mr Webb supports the bill in principle, but still wants to be reassured by the detail before voting for it again. “A change in 28 minds and the bill fails,” he notes.Though the government has so far remained neutral on assisted dying, it will almost certainly have to play a more active role to give Ms Leadbeater’s bill sufficient parliamentary time. It will also have to begin the work to ensure that any future law can be implemented. One big consideration will be how to engage with the Welsh government, after the Senedd voted to reject a similar motion in October (health care is ). Much work will also be needed to prepare the English National Health Service and the courts.Then there is the issue of palliative care: some s worry that its poor state could make assisted dying a necessity rather than a choice. A new independent commission is to recommend how to improve end-of-life care. But ultimately the problem will be for Wes Streeting, the health secretary, to fix.For all the government’s neutrality, the prime minister, Sir Keir Starmer, voted in favour of the bill. He may yet have moments when he wishes that it had not passed. Assisted dying will suck up time and energy in 2025 (though a law would realistically come into effect no earlier than 2027). And given that 234 Labour s backed the bill and 147 opposed it, including Mr Streeting, the issue is plainly one that divides his party. Set against these considerations is another. This reform may prove to be his government’s greatest legacy.
