Andy Burnham to abstain on assisted dying Bill ahead of Commons vote

Prime minister Andy Burnham has said he will abstain in the next Commons vote on the assisted dying Bill so as not to “unduly influence the debate” in a letter to the Parliamentary Labour Party .

Mr Burnham, who is Roman Catholic, said he does not want to “unduly influence the debate” in his role as prime minister and has therefore decided it is “most appropriate” for him not to cast a vote next month.

The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, which ran out of time in Parliament’s last session, is due back in the House of Commons on 11 September.

The Bill proposes allowing adults in England and Wales, with fewer than six months to live, to apply for an assisted death subject to the approval of two doctors and an expert panel.

First brought by Labour MP Kim Leadbeater in 2024 as a Private Member’s Bill, it fell in the House of Lords in April, having run out of time to become law before Parliament was prorogued that month.

It had passed two votes in the House of Commons, although the second one, which took place in 2025, saw the majority in favour of the Bill narrow to 23 from a previous majority of 55.

In a letter to the Parliamentary Labour Party, Mr Burnham wrote: “I, of course, have my own personal views on the issue.

“However, I am also clear that this is a matter for Parliament to decide and my role, as the Prime Minister, will be to lead a Government that implements the will of Parliament in this area – whether that is to change the law or not.

“I also do not want to unduly influence the debate as Prime Minister and for every colleague to know it is a genuinely free vote. For these reasons, I have taken the decision that it is most appropriate for me not to vote at second reading.”

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