Image source, EPA

After a lively four-hour debate in the House of Commons, MPs have decided to vote against the assisted dying bill.

It was the second attempt to change the law - a nearly identical bill was supported by MPs last year, but stalled and ran out of time in the House of Lords.

The behaviour of peers in the Lords was a point of contention for supporters of the bill - Labour MP Lauren Edwards, who brought it forward, accused "the other place" of using filibustering tactics to bring the bill to "an abrupt halt".

But the legislation faced strong opposition - Conservative MP Edward Leigh told MPs he believed assisted dying, in time, would become "assisted suicide".

MPs ultimately voted against the assisted dying bill, with 286 votes against and 270 in favour - how did your MP vote?

Esther Rantzen, prominent broadcaster and assisted dying campaigner, told the BBC of her "disappointment" with the outcome, while disability campaigners described the result as a "victory".

We're ending our live coverage here, but you can read more in our news story.

Joe Coughlan
Live reporter

MPs have voted to reject legalising assisted dying in England and Wales, with 286 voting against the bill and 270 voting for it.

The vote came after a divisive debate - with Labour MP Janet Darby openly saying she had changed her mind on it after saying she had "nightmares about dying and death" when she initially voted in favour of it.

Supporting MPs argue against 'unsafe and cruel' status quo

• Labour's Lauren Edwards, the bill's sponsor, said MPs must grasp the opportunity to "create a holistic end of life care system" and that palliative care "cannot address pain and suffering in all circumstances"
• Alicia Kearns from the Conservatives said it was a "fallacy" to suggest the bill should wait until palliative care is fixed, adding she would provide her own amendments
• The Lib Dems' Pippa Heylings said the current status quo is often "unsafe and cruel" for terminally ill people, while Labour's Hilary Benn said terminally ill individuals already travelling abroad to end their lives represented "a gaping hole" in the argument against the bill

'Soft language' of bill 'obscures the dark reality'

• Ashley Dalton of Labour said the bill "does not protect the most vulnerable", adding that the first responsibility of MPs was to "write a law that is safe, and workable"
• The DUP's MP for Upper Bann, Carla Lockhart, told the Commons the "soft language" of the bill "obscures the dark reality" of what is being proposed - referring to it as "state-sponsored suicide"
• Tory MP Dr Andrew Murrison said the bill would leave "a grisly trail of unintended and unforeseen consequences", while Labour's Dr Zubir Ahmed said one of the bill's requirements of patients being diagnosed with six months to live or less is "not a good enough marker for proscribing death"

We have been hearing from readers following the outcome of the vote on the assisted dying bill.

Graham from Locksbottom says the result is "unbelievable", calling it "a prime case of politicians completely ignoring the will of the people".

"Absolutely thrilled that this has been voted down. I have multiple chronic illnesses and I know that if were given the option of death when I am really ill and feeling burdensome, I would say yes," says Elizabeth from Southampton.

Meanwhile, Chelsie from Cambridge says: "We all deserve to die with dignity and without pain. This should be a public referendum. Let the people decide, not the rich who can afford to make this decision and travel elsewhere for it."

Image source, Reuters

The assisted dying bill will come back to parliament, possibly as soon as next year, says Kim Leadbeater, the Labour MP who introduced the original legislation last year.

Speaking to the BBC’s Nick Eardley following the revived bill’s defeat she said “it is a matter of time before we introduce that legislation and it does get passed”.

Regarding whether the bill could reappear before the next election she said “of course it could, we have the private member’s bill ballot every year”.

Asked if she thought it could return next session, when the new ballot of private member’s bills is drawn after the King’s Speech she said “it could, there’s a lot of MPs who are very upset about what happened today.

"We had MPs standing up sharing very personal stories about what this bill means to them, and what a change in the law means to them, of course it could come back”.

How did your MP vote on assisted dying?published at 16:28 BST

16:28 BST

By Daniel Wainwright and Phil Leake

MPs were given a free vote on the assisted dying bill, meaning they were not told by party whips whether to support or reject the proposal.

You can use our tool to search for your MP either by their name or constituency to see how they voted:

Catholic Archbishop of Liverpool John Sherrington says the most effective way to address end-of-life suffering is through "greater access to excellent palliative and end-of-life care".

Archbishop Sherrington, who is also the Lead Bishop for Life Issues, thanks MPs who voted against the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, and those who campaigned against it.

"Our response to those facing serious illness, disability or the challenges of old age should be rooted in solidarity, care and respect," he says.

And he adds that the Catholic leaders will continue to promote these priorities and stand alongside those who care in hospices, hospitals, care homes and communities.

Breaking down how the parties voted on assisted dyingpublished at 16:12 BST

16:12 BST

By Daniel Wainwright and Phil Leake

The issue split the Labour party, with 190 votes from its MPs in favour of the bill and 153 against.

A majority of Liberal Democrat MPs and all five Green MPs were also in favour, while most Conservatives and Reform UK MPs who voted were against.

There is a slight difference between the official result of 270 MPs in favour based on the tellers’ count and the 269 MPs names recorded as voting for the bill. The tellers are the MPs nominated to count the votes for and against.

The Parliament website, external explains this can happen if the tellers have miscounted, although tellers from both sides have agreed their total. Another possibility is if some MPs' names are not recorded on the electronic pass reader terminals, which can be corrected later if they report that their name is missing.

Alex Forster
Reporting from outside the House of Commons

Catherine from Brighton is one of many Dignity in Dying campaigners outside of the House of Commons to hear the vote on assisted dying. She is here today because of her sister Claire, who died in 2020.

“Claire had really great palliative care but it wasn’t enough for her, she wanted that option to die on her terms, and very sadly today because of the actions of seven or eight unelected peers this whole thing has been blocked."

She went on to say she feels the British public is behind them in this cause and she vowed “We’re not going away…we will always keep going”

Three Labour MPs who opposed today's bill have issued a joint statement following the vote.

Ashley Dalton, Meg Hillier and Jess Asato say: “MPs have voted against this bill because it wasn’t an abstract debate but a decision about a real bill that was unsafe and unworkable.

“But this is not a moment for celebration, we understand the deep concerns of so many people across the country who have campaigned hard for a change in the law."

They add that "none of the relevant royal medical colleges, professional groups or experts" will attest to the safety or workability of the bill.

“The PM is right; we must fix our NHS and sort out social and palliative care before we even consider introducing assisted dying," the MPs say.

Image source, House of Commons

The BBC has been speaking to campaigners against the assisted dying bill following the outcome of the vote by MPs.

One woman says she did not think the bill was going to be rejected, adding she was so proud of all of the supporters who had come out to speak against it.

Wiping away tears, she says: "The fight is not over. We still have so much that we need to campaign against but for a few minutes we can rest a bit and have some peace."

She thanks the MPs who voted against the bill, saying they have "changed our lives".

Another campaigner says he feels "overwhelmed with emotion".

He adds they will continue to fight on for more investment in palliative care and against welfare cuts.

Image source, PA Media

Lauren Edwards, the MP who introduced the bill to Parliament says the result is "hugely disappointing".

"Not for me but for the many thousands of terminally ill people and their loved ones who were given hope when the Commons voted for this Bill last year."

She says support for choice at the end of life is still as strong in Parliament as it was before and objections raised today "were not about the principle of assisted dying but about parliamentary process".

Edwards blames a minority in the House of Lords, who she says "used procedural devices to block it".

"Assisted Dying will come in this country, as it is already doing all across the world, but not soon enough," she pledges.

"Parliament has dropped the ball today. It will be picked up again as it must be, because the law as it stands is simply too cruel and too unjust to be allowed to stand."

Image source, PA Media

Reacting to the news that MPs have voted against a fresh move to legalise assisted dying, journalist and campaigner Esther Rantzen tells the BBC it is a tragic day.

Unable to join supporters in Parliament Square, the 86-year-old, who has terminal cancer, spoke via her daughter Rebecca Wilcox's phone.

"I’m so sad that people in this country wont have the choice, so many terminally ill adults have in other countries have of shortening their own deaths by asking for help," Rantzen says.

"I am sure a change in the law will come. I am deeply sad that it won't come soon enough for many of the people who need it, it’s a tragic day."

Wilcox said she was devasted by the vote and vowed their campaign would continue, adding it had taken a huge effort for her mother to make her statement today, despite the seriousness of her condition, because it meant so much to her.

"I don’t think it’s a vandalism of democracy, I think it’s a demolition of democracy," she added.

Harry Farley
Political correspondent

The reaction in the House of Commons - gasps, cheers, stunned surprise - sums up the scale of this result.

We had expected it to be close. All the predictions beforehand was the margin of victory for either side would be narrow. But today supporters of the bill had been sounding more optimistic than opponents.

They believed enough backers of assisted dying had turned up in Westminster.

They were wrong.

As always the numbers tell a story. The last time MPs voted on this bill, 291 voted against it, versus 314 in favour. Today, the numbers voting against it are similar - 286 voted no this afternoon.

What has changed, and so the reason why we have a different result, is the numbers voting in favour. Just 270 voted for this bill, a fall of 45.

Why have fewer voted in favour this? There are a number of possible factors. Some had growing concerns about the safety of the bill, as we heard from the Labour MP Janet Daby this afternoon.

For others, the influence of Andy Burnham may have been a factor. Last time MPs voted on this issue, Keir Starmer was prime minister and in favour of this change.

Burnham is not in favour of this bill. And that change might have swayed some MPs who supported the bill last time to stay away.

A group of disabled and terminally ill campaigners says the outcome of today's vote is a "victory" for disabled people, terminally ill people and "everyone this bill would have put at risk".

The campaign group Assist Us To Live says palliative and social care systems are "dangerously underfunded" and disabled people "fight every day" for the "support to eat, wash, leave our homes, and work".

They thanks MPs for the results and say they are "ready to work with government to deliver the reforms we've been demanding".

Image source, EPA/Shutterstock

The rejection of the assisted dying bill has been described as a "devastating setback for dying people" by the Dignity in Dying charity.

The charity says law change on assisted dying remains a "matter of when, not if", adding that the practice has already been legalised in Jersey and the Isle of Man.

Dave Sowry, the chair of My Death, My Decision, has said the result is "a travesty and deathly disappointing" but that the campaign group will continue to fight for a compassionate law.

He adds that it also "leaves the current unsafe and unequal status quo exactly as it is", with people who are unable to afford travelling abroad to Switzerland, where assisted dying is legal, being "left without that choice".

MPs have voted against the assisted dying bill, after debating for more than four hours in the Commons.

This bill can now go no further, but an MP could bring back an identical or tweaked piece of legislation at some point next session.

There is precedent for this: the legislation debated today was a nearly identical version of the bill that was initially passed in the Commons, before it was eventually stalled in the House of Lords.

It is down to MPs to see if anyone wants to bring forward another bill and champion the cause again.

An extraordinary rejection despite changing of minds for somepublished at 14:54 BST

14:54 BST

Harry Farley
Political correspondent

That is absolutely extraordinary.

The House of Commons, which twice previously voted in favour of a near identical piece of legislation, have rejected this bill.

This is the end of this attempt to legalise assisted dying in England and Wales.

There were some who changed their minds. But they were a minority.

Ultimately opponents defeated this bill because they succeeded in persuading more of their MPs to turn up to Westminster on a day when many are typically in their constituencies.

Nick Eardley
Political correspondent, reporting from the House of Commons

There were cheers in the Commons from opponents of the bill as the result was read out.

MPs who have been backing the legislation look deflated. Kim Leadbeater is shaking her head on the green benches.

She and others will be frustrated that a bill MPs backed last year has now been rejected.

MPs have voted against the assisted dying bill, with 286 votes against and 270 in favour.

MPs have voted for bringing the debate to a close, with 293 votes for and 218 against.

They are now voting on the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill - also known as the assisted dying bill - itself.

We will bring you the result as soon as we have it - you will also be able to watch live at the top of this page.