A move to make it easier for terminally ill people to be helped to end their lives have cleared its first hurdle in Parliament.
MPs on Friday voted by a majority of 55 to back the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill at second reading, with MPs being given a free vote rather than dividing along party lines.
Gloucester Labour MP Alex McIntyre was the only Gloucestershire MP to vote no against the bill.
Mr McIntyre said: “On an emotional and moral level, I support the right for everyone to have dignity in their death. However, I also recognise that this Bill has prompted essential discussions, not only about assisted dying but also about the better need for palliative care, a conversation I hope will continue.”
Cheltenham Lib Dem MP Max Wilkinson, Forest of Dean Labour MP Matt Bishop, Stroud Labour MP Simon Opher, Tewkesbury Lib Dem MP Cameron Thomas all voted Aye while no vote was recorded for North Cotswold Tory MP Geoffrey Clifton-Brown.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer also backed the Bill, 147 of his Labour colleagues opposed it.
The Bill now moves onto the next stages of the legislative process.