Speeches by Leadbeater.

“I will make some progress, if I may. I hope that I have set out the problem that clearly exists. Now allow me to set out how the Bill can address that problem and, most importantly, do so safely and effectively. If the Bill were to become law, it would contain the most robust and strongest set of safeguards and protect…”

“The hon. Lady makes an excellent point and highlights a community who we must consider in light of the Bill. I would absolutely be open to that conversation in Committee; it is a very valid point. There are different views within the disabled community. As Professor of Disability Research, Sir Tom Shakespeare says that…”

“I thank my hon. Friend for his intervention. I suggest that the Bill will give society a much better approach towards end of life. We are already hearing conversations about dying and death which I do not think we have heard enough in this country. We have to take a holistic view. Indeed, that is what happens in other …”

“My hon. Friend is absolutely right. How many people will go through the situations I have described if it is another 10 years before we address this matter?”

“I am not going to take any more interventions, I am afraid, because I am conscious that lots of hon. Members want to speak; I know Mr Speaker is conscious of that as well. Under the Bill, any terminally ill person who wants to be considered for an assisted death would have to undertake a thorough and robust process inv…”

“I am sorry but I am not going to take any interventions, as I need to make progress. The court must speak to one of the doctors and can hear from anybody else they deem necessary. If there is any evidence of coercion, the court will not approve the request, and if evidence emerges subsequently, the court order could be…”

“I beg to move, that the Bill be now read a Second time. Thank you, Mr Speaker, and thank you to everyone who is attending this hugely significant debate. It is a privilege to open the debate on the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, a piece of legislation that would give dying people, under stringent criteria, c…”

“I will take one more intervention.”

“I thank my hon. Friend for his intervention and I will come on to some of those points later in my speech. Let us be very clear: the title of the Bill refers to terminally ill adults, not disabled people or elderly people, as another hon. Member referred to. The criteria are very clear. I come back to the status quo, w…”

“I congratulate the hon. Member for Leeds East (Richard Burgon) on securing this important debate. Support for children with special educational needs and disabilities is an issue that has been raised with me consistently since my election three years ago. In Batley and Spen and now in my new Spen Valley constituency, I…”

“Like many constituencies, in Spen Valley, we are intensely proud of our many towns and villages, all with their own unique identities. My constituents and I want to preserve the amenities at the heart of those communities, such as the town hall in Cleckheaton or the libraries in Mirfield and Kirkheaton. Does the Leader…”

“Q4. Welcome back, Mr Speaker. May I congratulate the Prime Minister on such as positive start to his premiership, and on resetting the dial on politics as public service and a force for good? Irrespective of our different views and opinions in this Chamber and beyond, it is a very important message. As such, will he jo…”

“It is a great pleasure to follow the hon. Member for Moray West, Nairn and Strathspey (Graham Leadbitter), who is almost my namesake. It is a great pleasure to speak on His Majesty’s first King’s Speech under a Labour Government. We promised change and, as I look around Parliament, I see an awful lot of change, with pe…”