Where does the cabinet stand on assisted dying?

Later this month MPs will debate one of the most contentious pieces of legislation to have ever crossed their desks.

Not since 2015 has parliament considered whether to legalise assisted dying, when they voted emphatically against any change in the law.

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On 29 November, MPs will again be asked to consider the matter, through Kim Leadbeater’s Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill.

Details of the legislation were published last week, including confirmation the medicine that will end a patient’s life will need to be self-administered and people must be terminally ill and expected to die within six months.

Under the Labour MP’s proposals, two independent doctors must confirm a patient is eligible for assisted dying and a High Court judge must give their approval.

The bill will also include punishments of up to 14 years in prison for those who break the law, including coercing someone into ending their own life.

In a sign of how fractious the debate is becoming, Health Secretary Wes Streeting has been accused of seeking to influence the vote – which the government is remaining neutral on – by speaking out so publicly against the bill.

Sky News takes a look at where the rest of the cabinet stands on assisted dying.

Voting for:

Louise Haigh

The transport secretary is still considering the bill but told Sky News at the weekend that she is “leaning towards” voting in favour of assisted dying.

“It’s a matter of public record that I voted in favour last time, and that is where I am leaning, totally honestly,” she said.

“But I am really conscious that there are concerns particularly from disabled advocacy groups and concerns around palliative care so I am considering that. I think this is a really important moment for the country as a whole to reflect.”

Ed Miliband

The energy secretary has described the current situation as “cruel” for people who are terminally ill and in pain and said he would vote for the bill.

He told ITV’s Good Morning Britain last month: “I think people having control over their own life and their own death is something that is the right thing to do.

“Obviously there have to be proper safeguards and I understand the concerns of some people on these issues, but my personal view will be to vote in favour of this bill.”

Lisa Nandy

Concerns about the lack of dignity at the end of life have swayed the culture secretary towards voting for the bill.

Ms Nandy told BBC Breakfast: “I’ve just seen too many examples of people who have no choices and no dignity at the end of their lives. And I think the current system is unsustainable.”

Peter Kyle

The science secretary voted in favour of assisted dying in 2015, saying in a speech at the time: “In the most profound moment in everyone’s life, the moment of death, we have no control at all. For those in the knowledge of their imminent death, I think this is wrong.”

According to the LabourList website, he has told constituents that this is still his position and the issue for him is a matter of “social justice”.

And in response to a Sky News interview with former Labour MP Paul Blomfield, who backs a change in the law after his father took his own life, Mr Kyle posted on X that he hoped it “paves the way for a respectful, informed debate about assisted dying”.

Liz Kendall

The work and pensions secretary told the BBC last week that she would vote in favour of the bill.

“I’ve always believed in giving people as much choice and control as possible, and with all the right safeguards which this bill has, I believe it’s a really important step forward on such a difficult issue, giving people that choice and control,” she said.

Hilary Benn

The Northern Ireland secretary also voted in favour of the 2015 bill and wrote on his website last month that he would do so again.

“A decade on, I remain of the view that those who are facing the prospect of their own imminent death as a result of a terminal illness should be able to determine the timing and the manner of it, surrounded by those who love them and whom they love,” he wrote.

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Jo Stevens

Ms Stevens, the Wales secretary, voted for assisted dying in 2015 and will do so again later this month.

Sir Alan Campbell

According to the LabourList website, chief whip Sir Alan Campbell will back the assisted dying bill – a change on his position from 2015, when he voted it down.

In an email to a constituent, he wrote: “People must have choice as they near the end of their life and that means the best possible end-of-life care. People deserve dignity in dying, and each person nearing the end of their life should feel reassured and safe in the knowledge they will receive the very best care possible.”

Stephen Kinnock

The minister of state for social care, Stephen Kinnock, has said he will vote in favour of assisted dying.

He told ITV: “‘I think that assisted dying is the right thing to do from the point of view of compassion”

Voting against:

Wes Streeting

Mr Streeting has been one of the key voices against the assisted dying bill, citing concerns that end-of-life care is not good enough for people to make an informed choice.

He has expressed concern of a “chilling slippery slope argument” where people who are terminally ill “opt for assisted dying because they think they’re saving someone somewhere money – whether that’s relatives or the NHS”.

The health secretary has also warned that bringing in assisted dying may mean there are cuts to other NHS services.

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Shabana Mahmood

Another early voice in the debate against assisted dying, the justice secretary told The Times last month: “As a Muslim, I have an unshakeable belief in the sanctity and the value of human life.

“I don’t think that death is a service that the state should be offering.”

Angela Rayner

The deputy prime minster voted against assisted dying in 2015 and is understood not to have changed her mind.

Bridget Phillipson

The education secretary told Sky News she voted against assisted dying in 2015 and added: “I haven’t changed my mind.

“I continue to think about this deeply. But my position hasn’t changed since 2015.”

Jonathan Reynolds

In a post on his Facebook page, the business secretary highlighted how he had voted against legislation in 2015.

“Constituents will know in the past I have always voted against proposals to change the law in this way,” he said. This is mainly because I have profound concerns about how vulnerable people could be protected should this happen.”