MPs have backed proposals to legalize assisted dying in England and Wales in a historic vote that paves the way for a change in the law.

Under draft legislation being considered by Parliament, adults who are expected to die within six months could seek help to end their own lives.

In the first Commons vote on the issue in nearly a decade, MPs supported the bill 330 to 275, a majority of 55.

There will be many more months of debate and scrutiny by MPs and peers, who may choose to amend it, with the approval of both Houses of Parliament required before it becomes law.

MPs were given a free vote, meaning they could make a decision based on their own conscience rather than having to follow a party line.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and his Conservative predecessor Rishi Sunak voted in favour, while Tory leader Kemi Badenoch voted against.

The PM, who previously supported a change to the law in 2015, did not speak in the debate or reveal how he planned to vote beforehand, saying he did not want to influence MPs’ decisions.

The government has taken a neutral position on the bill and at the end of the debate the Minister for Justice Alex Davies-Jones confirmed that if Parliament supported a change to the law the government would ensure that any bill is effective and that its provisions can be enforced . .

Labor MP Kim Leadbeater, who put forward the bill, told the BBC she was “a bit overwhelmed” after the vote and it meant a “huge amount” to be able to tell campaigners that the bill had been passed for the first time parliamentary obstruction.

However, Conservative Danny Kruger, a prominent opponent of the bill, said that it could be defeated at a later stage if MPs’ concerns were not properly addressed.

In an emotional debate that lasted more than four hours, MPs from both sides of the argument shared personal stories that underpinned their decisions in a packed room.

More than 160 Dáil Members asked to speak but far fewer got the chance due to time constraints.

Opening the debate, Leadbeater said the current law was “failing” and needed to be changed to give people with a terminal illness a choice at the end of their life.

The MP for Spen Valley said too many people were suffering “heartbreak” as a result of the “cruel reality” of the status quo.

She gave examples of terminally ill people who died “screaming for help” or took their own lives because they were in uncontrollable pain.

Others who could afford it, she said, traveled to Switzerland or elsewhere for assisted dying, which she described as “a very distressing and often lonely experience”.

Proponents of the bill raised concerns that terminally ill people, particularly the elderly, disabled or vulnerable, could be pressured to end their own lives.

Leadbeater argued that his bill included “the strongest and strongest set of safeguards and safeguards in the world” and strict eligibility criteria.

To be eligible for assisted dying under the bill, a person must have the mental capacity to make a choice about ending their life and express a “clear, decided and informed” wish, free from coercion or pressure , at each stage of the process.

Two independent doctors and a High Court judge must be satisfied that someone is eligible and that their decision has been made voluntarily.

However, Conservative MP Danny Kruger argued that this process was inadequate as there would be no requirement for doctors to investigate or interview friends and family to see if someone was stressed.

He told the Deputy that the “greater danger” was people putting pressure on themselves because they felt “a burden to others” or they were not able to access the treatment they needed.

Kruger urged MPs to vote against a “suicidal state service” to protect vulnerable people from harm.

Others said the focus should be on improving end-of-life care rather than introducing assisted dying.

MP Rachael Maskell, who previously worked as a physiotherapist in the NHS, said funding for palliative care was “restricted” despite growing demand and services were “overstretched”.

Leadbeater said she welcomed the discussion about how to improve end-of-life care but insisted it was “not an either/or” and that assisted dying was not “a substitute for palliative care”.

As a private member’s bill, introduced by a backbench MP rather than the government, the draft legislation is allocated less time for scrutiny and some MPs cited this as one reason for voting against it.

In response to such concerns, Leadbeater promised that there would now be a “thorough process” of scrutiny in Parliament to make the bill “the best it can be”.

If the bill is eventually passed into law, she said there would be a period of up to two years before it is implemented because it is “more important to get this right than to do it quickly”.

Cabinet ministers are divided over the issue, with Health Secretary Wes Streeting and Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood – the two ministers who would have full responsibility for implementing any change to the law – voting against it.

A total of 15 cabinet members, including Chancellor Rachel Reeves and Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, voted in favour, while eight voted against.

Current laws across the UK prevent people from asking for medical help to die.

A separate bill helped to legalize euthanasia in Scotland It has been proposed by a Liberal Democrat member of the Scottish Parliament and MPs are expected to vote on it next year.