Will the assisted dying bill be passed today and at what time?

A new law has been proposed to legalise assisted dying in England and Wales.

Kim Leadbeater - the Labour MP for Spen Valley in West Yorkshire - opened the debate on her Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill on Friday morning. It is the first time the issue has been debated in the Commons since 2015, which made it “long overdue”, Ms Leadbeater said.

Campaigners both for and against the bill gathered outside Parliament on Friday and, in a sign of the level of feeling on the issue, Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle said more than 160 MPs were bidding to speak on it.

READ NEXT: What is the assisted dying bill being debated by MPs on Friday?

Encouraging or assisting suicide is against the law in England and Wales, with a maximum jail sentence of 14 years. Ms Leadbeater’s proposals would allow terminally ill adults with less than six months to live - and who have been resident in England and Wales and registered with a GP for at least 12 months - to end their lives, subject to the approval of two doctors and a High Court judge.

Opening the debate, Ms Leadbeater told MPs: “I know that this is not easy. It certainly hasn’t been easy for me. But if any of us wanted an easy life, I’m afraid we are in the wrong place.

“It is our job to address complex issues and make difficult decisions. And I know for many people this is a very difficult decision.

“But our job is also to address the issues that matter to people, and after nearly a decade since this subject was debated on the floor of the House, many would say this debate is long overdue.”

Five hours have been set aside for MPs to air their views on the bill but they are not guaranteed a vote on it. Ms Leadbeater’s proposal is known as a private members’ bill (PMBs).

These