What you need to know ahead of the assisted dying vote
Coffee House Shots
The Spectator
4.4 • 2.1K Ratings
🗓️ 20 June 2025
⏱️ 13 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
It’s a historic day in Westminster, where MPs will vote on the assisted dying bill – the outcome of which could have huge repercussions for healthcare, politics and the courts. It’s such a significant day, in fact, that we’ll be recording another podcast just after the result is announced at around 2.30 p.m.
Kim Leadbeater’s camp remains confident that the bill will pass, although many anticipate a much closer vote than at the second reading. This is in no small part due to high-profile members of the party being opposed to the legislation, and Keir Starmer remaining characteristically evasive on the issue. The backdrop, of course, is the resignation of a government whip, Vicky Foxcroft – though over a separate issue: Liz Kendall's plan to cut personal independence payments. Could this be part of a coordinated rebellion? And how will the assisted dying bill – brought by a Labour MP and tacitly backed by a Labour PM– define Labour’s first year?
Oscar Edmondson speaks to James Heale and Isabel Hardman.
Produced by Oscar Edmondson.
Transcript
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| 0:45.5 | Hello and welcome to Coffee House Shots, the spectator's daily politics podcast. I'm Oskredenson, |
| 0:50.6 | and I'm joined by Isabel Hardman and James Heel. On a historic day in Westminster, where MPs will vote on the assisted dying bill, the outcome of which will have huge repercussions for healthcare, politics, the courts, and surely define Labour's first year in office. It's such an important day, in fact, that we will be doing another podcast just after results are announced at around |
| 1:10.8 | 2.30pm this afternoon. But Isabel, to start, you've been covering this one very closely for |
| 1:16.0 | the spectator. Am I being hyperbolic when I say that this could be one of the most important |
| 1:21.5 | days in Parliament, potentially, for years? Yeah, I mean, I don't think you are being hyperbolic |
| 1:25.4 | there because it not only fundamentally changes the attitude of the state towards life and death. |
| 1:33.3 | It also, I think, and this is very much the argument of the opponents, but I think many of the proponents accept it too. |
| 1:39.8 | It does fundamentally change the relationship that healthcare professionals have with their patients, |
| 1:46.3 | which is up to this point, has been, we keep you alive. And if passed, and, you know, |
| 1:53.2 | it would still have to go through the laws. But I think anyone who thinks that the lords would |
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