Chichester MP votes against End of Life Bill: "I can't support legislation I don't believe is ready"

Mrs Brown-Fuller, who first won her seat in last year’s general election, said she did not believe the legislation was ‘ready’ to provide meaningful safeguards to vulnerable members of the public.

“I voted against the bill today,” she said in a statement. “That decision wasn’t easy, and I know it will disappoint some. I share that disappointment, but I can’t in good conscience support legislation I don’t believe is ready.”

The majority of the Commons voted in favour of the bill, meaning it will now move on to the House of Lords for further scrutiny. If passed in its current form, the bill will give terminally ill patients in England and Wales the right to choose to end their own life. But MPs like Mrs Brown-Fuller say there are still serious conversations to be had about it’s ability to protect vulnerable members of the public from harm.

Mrs Brown-Fuller, who voted supported the bill in its second reading, said she has since consulted medical professionals and members of the public, and believes the bill still doesn’t do enough to address serious shortfalls in the care system.

"As my party’s spokesperson on hospitals and primary care, I regularly speak with healthcare professionals. Their concerns about the bill have been serious and consistent. I also don’t believe the lack of high-quality palliative care, something this bill doesn’t address, can be ignored. A choice made in the absence of good alternatives isn’t a real choice.”