The bill's committee is made up of 14 supporters, nine opponents and senior voices from both sides of the debate.

Lawmakers in the U.K. have passed a controversial bill that would legalize assisted dying for terminally ill people deemed to be in the last months of their life.

The crucial committee that will scrutinise the assisted dying bill will have a majority of supportive MPs, including two government ministers, in a move that has been branded “a stitch-up” by campaigners.

Labour MP Kim Leadbeater’s Terminally Ill Adults Bill passed its second reading with a majority of 55 in favour. Now, the MPs who have been selected to sit on the

MPs have backed a proposed law that would legalise assisted dying for terminally ill people, in the first vote on the issue in a decade. The vote on Friday, which resulted in 330 MPs in favour and 275 against, came after five hours of passionate debate.

MPs have voted to pass the Terminally Ill Adults (End Of Life) Bill, allowing the assisted dying legislation to pass through to the next stages of scrutiny and amendment. The bill was passed by a majority of 55 votes.

The most significant Commons vote on social policy since abortion was legalised in the 1960s has seen MPs agree to the principle of the state assisting in people’s deaths for the first time

Under the proposed legislation, only those over 18 years old in England and Wales and who are expected to die within six months can request assisted dying. They must have the mental capacity to make a choice about the end of their life and will be required to make two separate declarations about their wish to die.

The members of the committee who will consider the assisted dying bill has a majority of those who voted in favour of the changes.