James Cleverly tells MPs of ‘painful’ death of friend in assisted dying bill debate

James Cleverly has opened up on losing his best friend during the assisted dying bill debate in the House of Commons on Friday (20 June). The former minister’s voice broke as he revealed that his closest friend “painfully” passed away earlier this year from esophageal cancer, sharing that he spent the final weeks of his life with him. Cleverly, one of the leading opponents of the Bill, told the Commons that he “comes at this not from a position of faith, nor from a position of ignorance” but is instead concerned over the practicalities of the Bill. He told his fellow MPs that whilst he wants to “alleviate suffering”, he does not believe the Bill is a good enough piece of legislation to pass.