High Peak MP backs assisted dying bill as MPs reject proposals

High Peak MP Jon Pearce has expressed his disappointment after voting in favour of legislation to legalise assisted dying, which was narrowly rejected by Parliament.

MPs voted by 286 votes to 270 against the reintroduced Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill on Friday 11th September – a majority of just 16.

The Bill would have allowed terminally ill adults in England and Wales, who were expected to die within six months, to request assistance to end their own lives, subject to safeguards and protections.

The issue has been the subject of intense and often deeply personal debate in Parliament and across the country, with supporters arguing that terminally ill people should have greater choice over the end of their lives, while opponents have raised concerns about the potential impact on vulnerable people and the adequacy of safeguards.

The latest Bill was introduced after an earlier version of the legislation had passed through the House of Commons in June 2025 but failed to complete its passage through the House of Lords before the end of the parliamentary session.

Mr Pearce, who also voted in favour of the earlier Bill, said the narrow result reflected his own conflicted feelings on the issue.

In a statement he said:

“Today, Parliament voted against the reintroduced Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill.

“If the Bill had passed, it would have legalised assisted dying. It was a very close-run vote, with the final result split by just 16 votes. The closeness of the vote very much reflected my own feelings on this. I voted for it this year, as I did last year, but not without significant reservations around the safeguards for protecting vulnerable people.

“Thank you to everyone in High Peak who has taken the time to contact me, whether in person at my surgeries, coffee mornings or in the street, or in writing. I am especially grateful to those who shared their own deeply personal experiences. I valued each and every contribution and carefully weighed all the arguments in reaching my decision to vote in favour.

“While this Bill will now not be going forward, I will continue to champion many of the issues and concerns that people have raised with me as a result of this debate, in particular how we improve end-of-life care and deliver the long-overdue reform of our social care system, which I know is a personal priority for the Prime Minister. I hope that the cross-party approach seen on both sides of this debate can be harnessed to help find solutions to these difficult issues.

“Thank you again to everyone who has got in touch on this issue.”

The defeat represents a significant setback for supporters of a change in the law, particularly after the earlier version of the Bill had secured the backing of MPs.

The Bill will not now progress following its defeat at Second Reading.