A majority voted in favour of allowing assisted dying in England and Wales today, including two out of three Bolton MPs.

MPs were allowed to vote on the bill by conscience rather than being forced to follow a party line.

After five hours of debate, 330 MPs voted in favour of the bill, 275 MPs voted against and 38 MPs did not vote.

The bill will now go to the committee stage where it will be further scrutinised and amendments can be discussed.

Yasmin Qureshi, MP for Bolton South and Walkden, voted against the bill saying she had concerns about “safeguards”.

She said: “I was not convinced that the safeguards would prevent the elderly or vulnerable from feeling like a burden on their loved ones, and that they may feel pressured into choosing to end their life.

“The importance of protecting vulnerable people from direct or indirect pressure to end their lives should not be underestimated.

“I also do not think we are in a position as a country where our NHS has the right levels of palliative care available for residents.

“Until we reach a stage where our palliative care and hospice system is fully funded and in a position to provide the high-quality palliative care to terminally-ill adults that would alleviate suffering, I do not feel we can have a proper debate on this issue with genuine options.”

The only party that was united in their vote was the Greens, with all four MPs voting for the bill.

Labour was split – with 60% of MPs voted in favour, including Sir Keir Starmer.

MPs voted in favour of allowing assisted dying during today's voteMPs voted in favour of allowing assisted dying during today's vote (Image: Alamy/PA) Phil Brickell, MP for Bolton West, and Kirith Entwistle, MP for Bolton North East, both voted in favour of the bill.

Mr Brickell said it was "a difficult vote for all MPs" but felt the bill had “sufficient safeguards”.

He said it would end the “two-track system” where wealthy people can afford to go abroad to end their lives.

Mr Brickell said: “Many individuals with a terminal illness spend their final few days and weeks in insufferable pain.

“This fundamental injustice forces terminally ill people to choose between travelling alone to die abroad; attempting to end their own life; putting loved ones at risk of prosecution by seeking assistance to end their own lives at home; or spending their final days in anguish.”

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Ms Entwistle said that the “slippery slope” argument doesn’t apply because “any changes will need to go through Parliament and debated in the appropriate way.”

She said: “People are already ending their lives in harrowing ways out of desperation, and out of fear their loved ones might be punished for helping them.

“Currently, those who can afford to do so, do go abroad and enlist options available to them to help them end their lives.

“Why should this be a right only available to those with the financial means to do so?”

There were at-times emotional scenes in the Commons as politicians on both sides of the debate made impassioned arguments for and against what has been described as a “major social reform”.

Encouraging or assisting suicide is currently against the law in England and Wales, with a maximum jail sentence of 14 years.