Kim Leadbeater opened her assisted dying debate speech with the saying that two things are certain in life — death and taxes. Well, it turns out there’s a third — technology will fail you at the critical moment. As Dignity in Dying campaigners waited anxiously around a speaker in Parliament Square to listen to a news channel broadcast the vote result, a victorious shout went up from another nearby group.
There was a moment of confusion as the crowd tried to work out whether they were supporters or opponents — and then the news we had been waiting for rippled through the crowd. Our broadcast was on a lag and the result had already been announced: 314 to 291 in favour. Shouts of “we won” rang out and there were tears of joy as pent-up nerves transformed into relief and elation. It was truly breathtaking to witness a historic moment that has been years in the making.
The Daily Express joined the fight to legalise assisted dying more than three years ago, after it became clear that Parliament was out of step with the public’s views.
Our relentless Give Us Our Last Rights crusade has given a voice to terminally ill people and those who have seen loved ones endure terrible suffering or undertake stressful and lonely journeys to Dignitas in Switzerland.
It all began in early 2022 in a Suffolk garden, where I sat with blood cancer patient David Minns as he explained with astonishing clarity why he wanted the option to request medical assistance to die.
David had already seen his daughter Katie suffer a horrific death from another cancer, sarcoma, the previous year. One year after that interview, he tragically died in the manner he had feared: frightened, in agony, and struggling to breathe.
As we welcome this huge step forward in our campaign, I am thinking of David and all the others who relived some of their darkest and most painful memories to make the case for change in the pages of this newspaper.
With the indomitable Dame Esther Rantzen at the helm, we battled to keep the issue at the top of the political agenda and ensure that the clear will of the people could no longer be ignored.
A petition we started last year soared past 200,000 signatures, triggering a Westminster Hall debate where dozens of MPs shared their views.
We took the fight to then-Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s doorstep and introduced him to David’s son Matt, who gave a heart-rending account of how assisted dying could have eased his family’s anguish.
Your campaigning Express was the only newspaper willing to wholeheartedly back this reform. We are proud to have played a part in making history.
Enormous praise must also go to Ms Leadbeater. The stars aligned when she was drawn first in the Private Members Bill ballot and chose to take on what she knew was a tough but important issue. We could have wished for no better champion for this bill.
And Dignity in Dying, the UK’s largest not-for-profit organisation campaigning for assisted dying, has worked tirelessly to ensure that the voices of terminally ill people and those who have suffered are heard.
The mood was hopeful but tense as supporters dressed in the group’s signature pink arrived in Parliament Square from around 8.30am on Friday.
Ms Leadbeater had been surprisingly bullish at a press conference on Thursday, saying she was “confident” her bill would pass the third reading. The language used was stronger than that spoken before the second reading in November, when she was described as “hopeful”.
Nonetheless, with opponents claiming the vote was on a knife edge and a number of MPs publicly switching sides to stand against the bill, the possibility of crushing disappointment remained.
Opposition protesters left their designated area down the road to stand directly in front of Dignity in Dying’s rally, and the police watched as the two equally passionate groups competed to chant over one another and win the public’s attention.
In the middle of the square, one particularly grim opposition stunt involved plastic bags arranged as though they contained bodies. But despite the close proximity, protesters on both sides were largely respectful.
As one of the hottest days of the year wore on, campaigners downed their placards to take breaks in nearby cafes before returning for the crucial announcement.
Of course, the fight is not yet entirely won. Ms Leadbeater’s bill will now pass to the House of Lords, where peers will carry out further scrutiny and put forward amendments. Any changes made will then have to be approved or rejected again in the Commons, until both Houses can agree a final version.
Labour peer and former justice secretary Lord Charlie Falconer, who hoped to sponsor the bill through the next stage, said this week he was confident the Lords would respect the will of the Commons.
And supporters believe that if the bill were in danger of running out of time, or getting caught in a game of legislative ping pong between the Houses, the Government should grant more sittings.
If it passes through the remaining stages and becomes law, there are some who will be fearful about the possible consequences of this great societal change.
We must respect the genuine concerns of opponents and do everything possible to ease their trepidation in the coming months.
But it is now an undeniable truth that both the public and MPs want a safe, compassionate assisted dying service to be available in England and Wales.
The Express will continue to ensure that the stories of those who desperately need this change remain at the heart of the debate.