Labour MPs Warn Starmer on Assisted Dying Bill
More than 100 Labour MPs have cautioned Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer that failing to pass assisted dying legislation could erode public trust in politics.
In a series of letters addressed to Sir Keir, parliamentarians have urged him to ensure sufficient parliamentary time is allocated to reach a decision on the matter.
The current bill to legalise assisted dying in England and Wales was approved by the House of Commons in June last year but has been delayed in the House of Lords for several months and now appears unlikely to pass.
Opponents argue the bill is flawed, asserting that any attempt to enact it would be unsafe and potentially harmful to vulnerable individuals. Downing Street has previously stated that the issue is a matter for Parliament to decide.
Legislation not introduced by the government must complete all parliamentary stages before the end of each session, which typically lasts between one and two years. If time expires, the bill usually fails.
Supporters now consider it "effectively impossible" for the assisted dying bill to pass before the current session ends, expected in May.
This is primarily due to over 1,200 amendments being tabled in the House of Lords, mainly by opponents of the legislation.
With only three of 14 days of debate remaining in the Lords, approximately half of the amendments have yet to be discussed.
Dame Esther Rantzen, a supporter of assisted dying, has accused opponents of using numerous amendments in the Lords to sabotage rather than scrutinise the bill.
In an interview with night, Dame Esther said she was "begging" peers to pass the bill, which has already been approved by the Commons, rather than allow "a very small minority" to block it.
"Some would block the bill for religious reasons because they belong to a faith that prohibits assisted dying and they want to impose that on those of us that don't share that faith.
Some because they are so committed to palliative care, and some, because I think wrongly, they think as disabled activists that it would apply to disabled people, which it wouldn't.
It would only apply to disabled people in the last six months of their life, so what they're doing is preventing disabled people from choosing - it's all about choice - choosing a swift, pain-free death, instead of suffering or indignity that they're going through."
She rejected claims that the bill was poorly drafted, stating it had been "beautifully scrutinised."
"All the right things are in this bill. It is sabotage," she said.
However, Labour MP Jess Asato, who opposes the bill, stated:
"The sponsor of the bill has rejected 99% of suggested improvements and amendments in the House of Lords and so it still contains all the same faults and issues."
"Any MP that voted to push this bill through would do so knowing that it is unsafe and would harm vulnerable people."
A source working with Labour opponents of the bill commented:
"For Labour MPs to continue to agitate for this unsafe, badly written and divisive bill rather than focus on the reasons people voted for us at the election is madness.
Labour needs to work on delivering on our manifesto and running the country well, not rerunning contentious arguments about assisted dying."
Scottish Parliament Prepares to Vote on Assisted Dying
This development coincides with Members of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs) preparing to vote on their own assisted dying bill on Tuesday. The Scottish bill would permit mentally competent adults with a terminal illness to seek medical assistance to end their lives.
More than 100 Labour MPs who support the change have written to the Prime Minister, with additional letters from MPs in other parties, requesting that he guarantees "time will be found for Parliament to come to a decision in the next session."
Peter Prinsley, a consultant doctor and MP for Bury St Edmunds and Stowmarket, organised the Labour letter.
"While we fully respect the government's neutrality on the principle of assisted dying, we are confident that you would agree with us that we cannot be neutral on the fundamental democratic principle that it is for the elected House of Commons to decide on this matter."
"We believe this is a matter of great importance that threatens to undermine public trust in our ability as politicians to deliver on their priorities."
Letters from supporters in other parties have been coordinated by Kit Malthouse for the Conservatives, Christine Jardine for the Liberal Democrats, Richard Tice for Reform UK, and Ellie Chowns of the Green Party.
In total, approximately 150 MPs have written to the Prime Minister.
The calls increase pressure on Sir Keir to intervene.
He voted in favour of the change in the Commons but has maintained that the government will remain neutral.
When asked previously about the issue returning in the next session, the Prime Minister's spokesperson said:
"The government is neutral on the matter of assisted dying and the passage of the bill.
It is for parliament to decide on any changes to the law."
Ethical issues, such as those concerning life and death, are conventionally regarded as matters for the conscience of individual MPs, so the government does not formally adopt a position.
One method for backbench MPs to propose a change in the law is through entering a ballot held at the start of each parliamentary session. However, unless an MP is drawn among the top few, their proposed legislation is unlikely to be debated, let alone have sufficient time to become law.
Nonetheless, Prinsley is requesting that, regardless of whether a supporter of assisted dying is drawn in the ballot, parliamentary timetable space be created to allow a decision on the proposed change.
"Our ask is simple," he wrote. "That, whether or not the bill returns through the private members' bill ballot after the King's Speech, time will be found for Parliament to come to a decision in the next session.
It would remain a conscience issue for MPs, the government's neutrality would be maintained, and it need not take up time reserved for government business."
Panorama: Assisted Dying - What Next?
Will assisted dying ever happen in the UK, and how would it work if it did? The BBC's medical editor, Fergus Walsh, speaks with leading supporters and opponents.
Watch on BBC One on Monday 16 March at 20:00 GMT in England, Scotland and Wales, at 20:30 in Northern Ireland, or on BBC .
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