A move to make it easier for terminally ill people to be helped to end their lives has cleared its first hurdle in Parliament – but divided Herefordshire’s two MPs.

MPs this afternoon (November 29) voted by a majority of 55 to back the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill at second reading, with MPs being given a free vote rather than dividing along party lines.

Conservative MP for Hereford and South Herefordshire and shadow Leader of the Commons Jesse Norman voted with the majority of his party colleagues in opposing the bill.

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He earlier said he felt “pulled by both sides” on the issue, but added: “The draft Bill has put legislation before careful public debate, not public debate before legislation.

“That is completely the wrong way round.”

Former Tory prime minister Rishi Sunak was among 23 in the party to back the private member’s bill, introduced by Labour MP Kim Leadbeater.

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North Herefordshire MP Ellie Chowns, along with her three Green party colleagues, vote in favour of it.

And while Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer also backed the bill, 147 of his Labour colleagues opposed it.

The bill now moves onto the next stages of the legislative process.