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Morning. The UK once again faces a historic decision. MPs will today have their final chance to debate and vote on the contentious assisted dying bill. If it passes, it will move to the House of Lords and if approved could become law as early as October.<\/p>\n
As it stands, the proposed legislation for England and Wales would allow terminally ill adults with less than six months to live to apply for an assisted death.<\/p>\n
The bill passed its second reading with a majority of 55 last November. But since then, the issue has become increasingly emotionally and politically charged, with both sides accusing campaigners and MPs of making divisive remarks or acting unjustly.<\/p>\n
Demonstrators for and against the bill have gathered outside parliament at every stage to make their voices heard.<\/p>\n
Supporters of the bill, led by Labour MP Kim Leadbeater, say it is returning to the Commons with strengthened safeguards. The vote was delayed after a months-long committee stage, which considered more than 150 amendments earlier this year.<\/p>\n
But opponents argue the bill still lacks sufficient protections for vulnerable people, and has been rushed.<\/p>\n
The numbers are expected to be far tighter this time, though supporters are still confident the bill will pass. While some MPs are thought to have moved to support the bill, more are believed to have switched sides to oppose it.<\/p>\n
How has the bill changed since last year\u2019s vote? What impact has that had on both its supporters and critics? And if it passes, what happens next? To answer those thorny questions, I spoke to Jessica Elgot<\/strong><\/em>, the Guardian\u2019s deputy political editor. That\u2019s after the headlines.<\/p>\n Middle East crisis <\/strong><\/em>| Donald Trump has set a two-week deadline to decide whether the US will join Israel\u2019s war with Iran, allowing time to seek a negotiated end to the conflict, the White House has said.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n UK news <\/strong><\/em>| The political \u201ctug of war with vulnerable women\u201d abused by grooming gangs must stop before a new national inquiry into the crimes, survivors have told the Guardian.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Environment <\/strong><\/em>| Rampant climate misinformation is turning the crisis into a catastrophe, according to the authors of a new report. It found climate action was being obstructed by false and misleading information.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n UK news <\/strong><\/em>| A man feared to be one of the worst sexual offenders in British history has been jailed for life with a minimum term of 24 years for drugging and raping 10 women.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Weather <\/strong><\/em>| Amber weather alerts have been issued across England as temperatures are expected to rise sharply across the country.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n <\/span>Kim Leadbeater MP, who introduced the assisted dying bill (centre), with fellow campaigners Rebecca Wilcox (left) and Sophie Blake (right).<\/span> Photograph: Stefan Rousseau\/PA<\/p>\n The bill has gone through significant changes since it was voted on last November. The most controversial is a change from what had been first proposed, that a high court judge would have final say on every case. Now, it will be a panel, which would include a psychiatrist, a social worker, and a senior lawyer.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is very much what I would describe as vibes-based legislation, in that it\u2019s obviously impractical for a high court judge to decide on every case,\u201d Jessica said. \u201cBut for lots of people who were voting in favour of it, it sounded really safe. But once it got to the committee stages, when they start to look at the practical application, it became obvious that it wouldn\u2019t work. There are 19 high court judges in the family court division in England and Wales.\u201d<\/p>\n Some suggest the proposal of a panel brings more relevant expertise, especially on issues like coercion. \u201cBut it\u2019s harder for Leadbeater (pictured above, centre) to make the case that it\u2019s \u2018the safest and most robust bill in the world\u2019 without that judicial oversight,\u201d Jessica added.<\/p>\n A number of amendments have been accepted to the bill. Medics will not be allowed to raise assisted dying as an option with under-18s, and advertising will be banned. Other amendments include a provision for assisted deaths not to automatically be referred to a coroner and an attempt to regulate substances for use in assisted dying.<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019ve accepted a few opposition amendments, which is their way of showing that they\u2019re listening,\u201d Jessica explained. They include an amendment by Naz Shah, who was a very vocal opponent of the bill, about anorexia. There was a fear from some eating disorder campaigners that anorexia can get so serious towards the end that it could basically be considered terminal.<\/p>\n \u201cSo there will be a specific clause, proposed by Shah, to make sure that doesn\u2019t happen and they\u2019ve accepted that. There\u2019s also one from another opponent, Munira Wilson, the Lib Dem MP. She wants the secretary of state to have a duty to report on the condition of palliative care services. Again, another big fear for opponents of the bill is that people will want to access assisted dying simply because the state of services is so poor that people choose to end their own life when with the right pain management and care, their life could be prolonged.\u201d<\/p>\n The last amendment is a key moral and political point for Labour, Jessica added. It\u2019s hard to square saying \u201cwe need to fix the NHS\u201d while also offering assisted dying. \u201cPolitically, Wes Streeting thinks that\u2019s a very dangerous thing for the government to be seen to be doing. The government will ultimately have to take responsibility for this bill, even if it keeps saying the government\u2019s neutral and it\u2019s a private member\u2019s bill. From public perception, it will be this Labour government that made it happen. And No 10 know that.\u201d<\/p>\n The debate has d<\/strong>eteriorated on both sides<\/strong><\/p>\n The anger and distrust between the opposing sides has ramped up considerably since the bill first passed.<\/p>\n \u201cPeople often talk about parliament at its best, where MPs make extraordinarily powerful speeches on both sides that are very passionate, where it doesn\u2019t become party political. It\u2019s just about taking on your opponent\u2019s arguments, rather than aspersions made about what people\u2019s motivations may or may not be. I think that we have seen that start to disintegrate over the past six months, on both sides,\u201d Jessica told me.<\/p>\n Those who support the bill accuse the other side of being driven by well-funded rightwing Christian groups, with people not disclosing religious motivations and instead claiming safeguarding concerns that are often theoretical or implausible, Jessica added. They\u2019ve also been accused of using procedural tactics to delay the bill.<\/p>\n On the other side, critics of the bill say that Leadbeater\u2019s treatment of colleagues who oppose her has been poor. They argue there are so many loopholes, and that this is all being pushed through as a cost-saving measure for the NHS.<\/p>\n \u201cThings have become very personal and that has been fuelled by the fact that it\u2019s become a big deal on social media,\u201d Jessica said.<\/p>\n Who has changed their mind?<\/strong><\/p>\n In terms of how people are voting, there\u2019s been some movement, Jessica tells me.<\/p>\n \u201cMinister Chris Bryant has now moved to yes; he abstained at the last vote. And Ellie Reeves, the Labour chair, who also abstained last time, is now expected to vote yes.<\/p>\n \u201cBut there\u2019s been much more traffic the other way. A few Conservatives, including former minister George Freeman, and one Reform MP and a former one, Lee Anderson and Rupert Lowe, as well as some Labour MPs, some of whom either previously abstained or voted for the bill. Others include former health minister Andrew Gwynne, he abstained, and he\u2019s now voting against, and the chair of the work and pensions select committee, Debbie Abrahams, who also previously abstained and is now voting against. These are relatively high-profile people,\u201d Jessica explained.<\/p>\n LabourList provides a useful overview of Labour MPs who have switched sides.<\/p>\n There are also people who won\u2019t be there, because the date of the bill changed a few times. \u201cSo a lot of it\u2019s up in the air. David Lammy, for example, who is against the bill, will be in Geneva for a meeting of foreign ministers because of the international crisis. There are lots of different things going on in the margins, in terms of who can or can\u2019t be there, which makes turnout really important,\u201d Jessica said.<\/p>\n What happens next?<\/strong><\/p>\n If the bill passes its third reading in the House of Commons, it then has to pass the Lords, where there will be more debate and scrutiny. But, Jessica said, once a bill like this, about a major issue of conscience, passes the elected house, she has no expectations that the Lords will block it.<\/p>\n \u201cThe pro side hope that it would get royal assent, which would mean it becomes law by around October. After that, there\u2019s a four-year implementation period,\u201d Jessica said.<\/p>\n Assisted dying is becoming more normalised across the western world. Countries that have legalised it include the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain and Canada, as well as US states like Oregon.<\/p>\n \u201cIn Canada, the law is much wider,\u201d Jessica said. \u201cThere have been a lot more controversial cases and it\u2019s almost seen as a kind of cautionary tale.\u201d<\/p>\n Jessica explains that many of the cases we remember from media reports, including those who travelled to Dignitas in Switzerland, involved individuals with neurological conditions like motor neurone disease or Parkinson\u2019s.<\/p>\n \u201cThese are people who feared losing their cognitive function or dignity, and that\u2019s what motivated them to seek an assisted death. But under this bill, they wouldn\u2019t be eligible. It only applies to people with a terminal illness.\u201d<\/p>\n The disconnect between public perception and the bill\u2019s actual scope could spark its own wave of controversy. But for now, campaigners on both sides are bracing themselves for the outcome of this fateful vote.<\/p>\n skip past newsletter promotion<\/p>\n Our morning email breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what\u2019s happening and why it matters<\/p>\n Privacy Notice: <\/strong>Newsletters may contain info about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. For more information see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.<\/span><\/p>\n after newsletter promotion<\/p>\n <\/span>Fire burns near a demonstrator as riots continue in Ballymena, Northern Ireland, 11 June 2025.<\/span> Photograph: Clodagh Kilcoyne\/Reuters<\/p>\n The Guardian\u2019s Lanre Bakare writes movingly in this column about the racial violence in Ballymena<\/strong> and its place in the deep record of anti-immigrant violence in Britain. Charlie Lindlar, acting deputy editor, newsletters<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<\/li>\n Labour MP Natalie Fleet, 41, sees her teenage relationship as grooming and statutory rape<\/strong>. In a moving interview, she reflects on making sense of it, adjusting to the truth, and campaigning for change. Aamna<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<\/li>\n Patrick Greenfield reports from Kassel, Germany on the city\u2019s unlikely problem with raccoons<\/strong> \u2013 and the residents\u2019 quandary about how to live with the rogue rodents. \u201cWe love them but we also hate them.\u201d Charlie<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<\/li>\n His new film 28 Years Later imagines a zombie-infested Britain \u2013 but Danny Boyle<\/strong> says that he remains optimistic. He tells Xan Brooks the one thing he regrets about his 2012 Olympics opening ceremony, and why he wouldn\u2019t make Slumdog Millionaire today. Alex Needham, acting head of newsletters<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<\/li>\n Rarely has Saturday magazine\u2019s You be the judge column been more fascinating than this week\u2019s entry, which sees two colleagues debate how many cakes in the office<\/strong> is too many. Who\u2019s in the wrong? You decide \u2026 Charlie<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n <\/span>Trawlerman, ridden by William Buick, romps home to win the Gold Cup at Royal Ascot.<\/span> Photograph: Tom Jenkins\/The Guardian<\/p>\n Horse racing <\/strong><\/em>| Seven-year-old Trawlerman won the Gold Cup at Royal Ascot in impressive style by seven lengths.<\/p>\n Cricket <\/strong><\/em>| Ben Stokes has described England\u2019s recent lack of Test action as \u201ca bit odd\u201d but playing just one game in the past six months has given them space to reconsider their approach before the series against India.<\/p>\n Football <\/strong><\/em>| Rhian Wilkinson hopes Wales can conquer their \u201cEverest\u201d at Euro 2025 after naming her squad at the top of the country\u2019s highest mountain.<\/p>\n <\/span> Photograph: Guardian<\/p>\n The Guardian<\/strong> splashes with \u201cTrump will decide on Iran attack \u2018within two weeks\u2019\u201d. (He gave Vladimir Putin two weeks as well, about three weeks ago.) The Times<\/strong> says \u201cTrump steps back from brink of bombing Iran\u201d while the Financial Times<\/strong> goes with \u201cTrump raises prospect of Iran talks and sets countdown on joining war\u201d. The Telegraph<\/strong> has \u201cLabour MPs turn on assisted dying Bill\u201d while the Express<\/strong> goes with \u201cAllow us the choice to have a good death\u201d and the Daily Mail<\/strong> says \u201cJenrick: I\u2019ll vote no to assisted dying for my nana\u2019s sake\u201d. The i paper<\/strong> reports \u201cIt\u2019s official: justice for victims of the second Post Office computer scandal\u201d. The top story in the Metro<\/strong> is headlined \u201cHaunted by PhD rapist\u201d under the strapline \u201cAs evil Zou jailed, woman tells of ordeals\u201d. \u201cGlitter: I\u2019m a danger\u201d \u2013 so said the paedophile to the Parole Board, which is not letting him out, the Mirror<\/strong> tells us.<\/p>\n Our critics\u2019 roundup of the best things to watch, read, play and listen to right now<\/em><\/p>\n <\/span>Margaret Thatcher in Ian Curtis\u2019s Shifty.<\/span> Photograph: Adam Curtis<\/p>\n TV<\/strong> Film Theatre<\/strong> Music <\/span> Photograph: Adam Curtis<\/p>\n Film-maker Adam Curtis on why this moment feels so weird<\/strong><\/p>\n The award-winning film-maker talks to Michael Safi about the big ideas that have run out of road<\/p>\n <\/span> Illustration: Ben Jennings\/The Guardian<\/p>\n A bit of good news to remind you that the world\u2019s not all bad<\/em><\/p>\n <\/span>The \u2018Dip-Dip-Hurrah\u2019 demonstration.<\/span> Photograph: Christian Jungeblodt\/The Guardian<\/p>\n From Paris to Amsterdam to Oslo, this week Guardian correspondents reported on the rising number of urban swimmers taking a dip in their city rivers.<\/p>\n Why are more Europeans are taking the plunge? Whether it\u2019s self-started social swim club in Copenhagen or a 300-strong \u201cDip-Dip-Hurrah\u201d protest asking for better access to urban waters in Berlin, it\u2019s all about community and seeing and experiencing their cities in a new way.<\/p>\n As for all the yucky stuff you might worry about? \u201cI\u2019m not worried,\u201d says one Berliner with classic German pragmatism. \u201cI\u2019m a farmer\u2019s son and grew up swimming in ponds with thousands of catfish and leeches.\u201d<\/p>\n Sign up here for a weekly roundup of The Upside, sent to you every Sunday<\/strong><\/p>\n And finally, the Guardian\u2019s puzzles are here to keep you entertained throughout the day. Until tomorrow.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Morning. The UK once again faces a historic decision. MPs will today have their final chance to debate and vote on the contentious assisted dying bill. If it passes, it will move to the House of Lords and if approved could become law as early as October. As it stands, the proposed legislation for England<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":9137,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[51],"tags":[140,142,1043,1044,141,82,1042,1022,1046,1045],"class_list":{"0":"post-9136","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-health","8":"tag-assisted","9":"tag-bill","10":"tag-briefing","11":"tag-controversial","12":"tag-dying","13":"tag-final","14":"tag-friday","15":"tag-historic","16":"tag-hurdle","17":"tag-nears"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9136","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=9136"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9136\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/9137"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=9136"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=9136"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=9136"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Five big stories<\/h2>\n
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In depth: What does the bill now look like?<\/h2>\n
What else we\u2019ve been reading<\/h2>\n
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Sport<\/h2>\n
The front pages<\/h2>\n
Something for the weekend<\/h2>\n
Shifty | \u2605\u2605\u2605\u2605\u2606<\/strong>
Adam Curtis\u2019s latest is a rare purely UK-focused dissection of recent history, built around the idea that the growing atomisation of society has ushered in an age in which the concept of a shared reality on which we can all depend has dissolved \u2013 and with it any hope of a functioning democracy. We stop before Brexit and Donald Trump, but it is clear how Curtis believes the seeds have been sown for all our current sorrows. Is the viewer persuaded? It depends where you start from, of course \u2013 and it will depend perhaps even more on how you feel about this most Marmite of film-makers. Lucy Mangan<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n
Elio | \u2605\u2605\u2605\u2606\u2606<\/strong>
There are some sweet retro-Spielbergian thrills in Pixar\u2019s amiable new family animation. It has charm, likability and that potent ingredient: childhood loneliness and vulnerability. Its opening act is set aboard a military base where an ambitious young officer has postponed or even abandoned her dream of being an astronaut to look after her orphaned nephew. But once the film leaves planet Earth and its recognisably real, lump-in-the-throat emotional world and inhabits the goofy multi-voiced arena of space aliens, it loses, for me, a little (though not all) of its charge. Peter Bradshaw<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n
4.48 Psychosis by Sarah Kane, Royal Court theatre, London<\/strong>
Variously abstruse and lucid in its arguments on life, death and suicide, and still original in form \u2013 but this production feels like the reconstruction of a seminal performance rather than a seminal performance for today. Maybe this is because Kane\u2019s position has changed in the intervening decades: she sits firmly in the canon. So this replica-like revival has the strange effect of a museum piece in this \u201cnew writing\u201d space, posthumous and reverential. Dramatically it is sedate \u2013 you wish for something messier, louder, angrier. But there is still value in its staging and poignancy, too. It is beautifully performed with moments of bared anguish and delicate detail. Arifa Akbar<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n
Loyle Carner: Hopefully! | \u2605\u2605\u2605\u2605\u2606
<\/strong>As well as the slushy lyrics and comfortingly toasty chords, Feel at Home is buttressed by madly skittering percussion and what sounds like a blurry reproduction of young children\u2019s playground chatter. But much like the outpouring of earnestness and loveliness on the Croydon-raised rapper\u2019s first two albums, Hopefully! may well have you hankering for a shred of dissonance or disruption \u2013 especially after 2022\u2019s Mercury-shortlisted Hugo, which gratifyingly offset Carner\u2019s trademark tenderness with a more abrasive sonic palette. Initially, the musician seems to have moved on \u2013 or perhaps backwards \u2013 from that record. Rachel Aroesti<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\nToday in Focus<\/h2>\n
Cartoon of the day | Ben Jennings<\/h2>\n
The Upside<\/h2>\n
Bored at work?<\/h2>\n