The Daily Mail leads on Friday’s historic Commons vote, which saw MPs narrowly back a bill to give some terminally ill adults in England and Wales the right to end their own lives. The paper says peers have promised an “attritional fight” when the bill moves to the House of Lords, claiming the narrow margin of 23 votes in favour is a “sign of concern about the bill”.
The Times likewise emphasises that the bill must go through the Lords to become law – and says it faces an “uphill battle” in doing so. It reports a peer said there were “black arts that could be used to kill the bill off”. Several front pages carry pictures from Royal Ascot – and the Times says author JK Rowling made a “rare public appearance” at the races.
The Daily Express uses more positive language as it splashes on The Terminally Ill Adults Bill. It declares the vote a “victory” for campaigners, “dignity in dying” and “choice in assisted dying”. Elsewhere, with a heatwave across the UK set to intensify on Saturday, the Express reports that “storms will cool us down” as a yellow warning for thunderstorms is issued.
The Daily Mirror also splashes on the “historic” assisted dying vote. It says it “spark[ed] joy among supporters” gathered outside Parliament, where opponents also protested against the result.
The Sun turns its attention elsewhere. It brands pro-Palestinian activists who broke into an RAF base and sprayed military planes with paint “air heads”. The government is set to ban the Palestine Action group as a result of what the paper calls a “security shambles”. A spokesperson for the group said on Friday: “When our government fails to uphold their moral and legal obligations, it is the responsibility of ordinary citizens to take direct action.”
The Daily Telegraph likewise includes the break-in at RAF Brize Norton on its front page. It highlights that the government’s move to make Palestine Action a proscribed group effectively declares them a “terror group”. It also splashes on plans to map the DNA of every baby under an “NHS revolution,” and carries a comment piece which says the assisted dying vote gave the state “the power to kill”.
The Guardian meanwhile splashes that end-of-life care is “to be transformed” in a “societal shift” after the assisted dying bill vote. It is one of few front pages with an eye on the Middle East this morning, reporting that fighting “continued to escalate” between Israel and Iran as the conflict entered its second week.
The i Weekend reports on how assisted dying might work in practice should it become law. It also describes the cabinet as “split” over the matter, with both the health secretary and deputy prime minister voting against the bill.
In other news, the FT Weekend reports that a US private capital group is to provide billions to support Somerset’s Hinkley Point C nuclear power station – which it calls a “delayed and over-budgeted project”. The paper also reports that mania for the “ugly-but-cute” Labubu dolls has turned its Chinese maker into one of the world’s biggest toy groups.
The Daily Star likewise widens Saturday’s news agenda with its front page, claiming Pope Leo XIV says AI is “doing [the] devil’s work”. Reporting that the pontiff “warns AI could be bad for kids,” it brands his remarks “Pope versus bot”.
The morning’s front pages mainly focus on the decision by MPs to back assisted dying in England and Wales.
With the headline, “Victory!”, the Daily Express features an image of campaigners outside parliament, celebrating what the Guardian calls a “societal shift that will transform end-of-life care”. According to the Daily Mirror, there were “tears of joy” as supporters of assisted dying hugged each other in relief.
But the Times warns that the bill faces an “uphill battle” to become law, in the face of opposition from the House of Lords. One peer tells the paper there are “plenty of black arts” that can be used to kill the legislation. The Daily Mail also suggests the battle is “far from over”.
The i Weekend says the NHS must now choose how the process will work – as under the current proposals, the toxins used to end life must be self-administered. It says the most likely option will be a cocktail of drugs that can be taken orally as a liquid — or a lethal injection.
The Sun highlights the vandalism committed by pro-Palestinian activists at RAF Brize Norton, after they broke into the base and sprayed military planes with red paint. Calling those involved “Brize idiots”, the paper says it’s “beyond belief that security could be so lax” at a time of high alert over Iran and Russia. The Daily Telegraph describes the incident as an “act of sabotage” – and says the government is right to respond by proscribing Palestine Action as a terrorist group.
