UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham to abstain from assisted dying bill vote

Unlike his predecessor Keir Starmer, UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham will not vote when the assisted dying bill for England and Wales returns to the House of Commons next month, saying he does not want to influence the debate, according to the BBC. The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill is scheduled for its second reading in the Commons on September 11. The legislation would allow adults over 18 who are expected to die within six months to seek assistance to end their lives, subject to safeguards.

In a letter to Labour MPs, Burnham said he had his "own personal views on the issue" but believed it was a matter for Parliament to decide. "My role, as the prime minister, will be to lead a government that implements the will of Parliament in this area – whether that is to change the law or not," he wrote. "I also do not want to unduly influence the debate as prime minister and for every colleague to know it is a genuinely free vote," Burnham added.

Burnham's decision differs from former prime minister Keir Starmer, who voted in favour of the previous assisted dying bill at its second and third readings while maintaining the government's official neutrality on the issue, the BBC reported. The previous bill, introduced by Labour MP Kim Leadbeater, passed the Commons but failed to become law after peers in the House of Lords tabled more than 1,200 amendments, causing it to run out of parliamentary time. A near-identical bill has now been introduced by Labour MP Lauren Edwards and is expected to be debated next month.

In a separate letter to ministers, Burnham said they would be free to vote or abstain according to their conscience. However, he told them to avoid publicly trying to influence the debate and not to comment on the bill's implications for their departments. "The government remains neutral on the question of assisted dying and on the passage of the bill," Burnham said. Burnham had previously indicated support for assisted dying in principle while serving as mayor of Greater Manchester. However, he later warned that implementing the policy would be challenging unless palliative and social care were improved. Supporters of the bill argue that a proposed implementation period of up to four years would provide time for improvements to end-of-life care.