Oxfordshire MP says assisted dying bill is the most controversial vote, six months after election win
Six months ago, Mr Glover became an MP for the first time
The MP for Didcot and Wantage says the assisted dying bill has been the most controversial vote of his career so far, after six months in the recently elected role.
The bill, called the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, would make it legal for those aged over-18 who are terminally ill to be given assistance to end their own life if they wish.
Olly Glover, Liberal Democrat MP for Didcot and Wantage said: “The most contentious issue has been the second reading of the assisted dying bill.”
He added: “There will be occasional constituents who aren’t quite so polite but overwhelmingly people are very polite, very courteous and we can have a good discussion.”
Mr Glover is encouraging people to “remain respectful of all sides of the argument”.
“The biggest challenge is time management and organisation”
Just over six months ago, Sir Kier Starmer and Labour won power into government with 412 seats and 9,708,716 votes.
In Oxfordshire, the Conservative party were wiped clean whilst the Liberal Democrats gained four seats and won more than one third of the vote across the county.
In the 2024 July election, Mr Glover became an MP for the first time, and he tells us what has been the most difficult part of being an MP so far.
He said: “The biggest challenge is time management and organisation. You’ve got a list of dozens or organisations and people who would like me to visit in the constituency, who I do like to get to all of them as time goes on.
“Combining that with being in Parliament several days a week is a real challenge and the way that Parliamentary procedures also make things difficult.”
The Didcot and Wantage MP won the electorate vote by 74,356 and a majority of more than 6,000 votes.
Mr Glover says his first six months has been “pretty intense and there’s been a lot to learn.”
He added: “I’m hoping to be able to achieve even more than I have in the first six months now that I’ve got a full team in place, and I know more or less what I’m doing in terms of the basics.”