Fewer votes in favor of the bill, reflecting security concerns and a new PM posted at 15:17 BST 15:17 BST Harry Farley Political Correspondent The reaction in the House of Commons – gasps, applause, stunned surprise – sums up the scale of this result. We hoped it would be close. All previous predictions were that the margin of victory for either side would be narrow. But today supporters of the bill seemed more optimistic than their opponents. They believed that enough supporters of assisted dying had appeared in Westminster. They were wrong. As always, the numbers tell a story. The last time MPs voted on this bill, 291 voted against and 314 in favour. Today, the numbers voting against are similar: 286 voted against this afternoon. What has changed, and therefore the reason we have a different result, is the numbers voting in favor. Only 270 voted in favor of this bill, a drop of 45. Why have fewer voted in favor? There are several possible factors. Some were increasingly concerned about the security of the bill, as Labor MP Janet Daby told us this afternoon. For others, Andy Burnham’s influence may have been a factor. The last time MPs voted on this issue, Keir Starmer was Prime Minister and was in favor of this change. Burnham is not in favor of this bill. And that change could have influenced some MPs who supported the bill last time to stay away.
