NewsPoliticsPoliticsDigging into the numbers, it's striking that a number of MPs abstained on the assisted dying vote - and while the opponents stayed broadly the same, 45 fewer MPs supported it17:11, 11 Sep 2026There was gasps and cheers as MPs dashed the hopes of assisted dying campaigners by rejecting a fresh bid to change the law.‌Both camps had been unsure how the vote would play out, and there was speculation in the run-up that it could be very close.‌In the end it came down to 16 votes, with 270 MPs backing the bill and 286 opposing it. Last year, an earlier version of the bill passed the Commons with a majority of 23 votes.‌Digging into the numbers, it's clear that a chunk of Parliament's 650 MPs stayed away. And while the number of opponents stayed broadly the same, 45 fewer MPs supported it compared to last year.Momentum had been in supporters' favour, and the bill was on course to become law when it was first brought forward by Labour MP Kim Leadbeater.‌But the long deadlock in the House of Lords, where critics tabled hundreds of amendments to the legislation, meant it didn't pass before the end of the parliamentary session.It appears that some MPs have had second thoughts about the bill during this time over safety concerns. Former minister Janet Daby articulated this in the Commons when she switched her vote, saying she had “nightmares about dying and death” after she voted in favour of it in 2025.A handful of other MPs switched their votes from yes to no, but the more significant factor was that dozens of supporters chose not to vote at all. Those opposing the bill were more successful in getting MPs to turn up in Westminster on a Friday - a day they usually spend in their constituencies.‌Andy Burnham's decision to abstain may also have had an impact on Labour MPs. Opponents had been buoyed by his decision not to vote, which he did because he said he didn't want to influence the debate.In the summer he signalled he was sceptical about the bill, saying it would be challenging to introduce assisted dying before social and palliative care were improved.This marks a shift from Keir Starmer, who voted in favour of changing the law, although the Government has taken a neutral position throughout and MPs were allowed to vote freely.Article continues belowThe issue has always been deeply divisive, and the splits are not always down party lines. A majority of Lib Dems, Greens and independent MPs were in favour while the Tories and Reform tended to be against it. But on the Labour benches, 190 MPs supported the bill and 153 were against it.Pro-assisted dying campaigners have vowed to fight on but in reality it will be difficult to make another attempt this side of a general election.Lizzy BuchanLizzy Buchan is the Mirror's Political Editor, overseeing a team in Parliament that covers all the action in Westminster and across the country, focusing on the stories that matter to Mirror readers. She has covered politics since 2017, joining the Mirror in 2020 from The Independent. She previously reported on Parliament for the Press Association, and covered health and news for The Scotsman, the Edinburgh Evening News and Cambridge News. Choose Daily Mirror as a 'Preferred Source' on Google News for quick access to the news you value.‌House of LordsAndy BurnhamPolitics