New assisted dying bill to be discussed at end of November

Batley and Spen MP Kim Leadbeater insisted choice is “at the heart of this bill” during an interview with BBC Breakfast.

The Labour MP behind the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill said hers is the only Bill in the world with “three layers of scrutiny” in the form of sign-off by two doctors and a High Court judge.

The proposed new law - published on Monday night - is due to have its first debate at the end of the month.

It will be the first time assisted dying has been debated and voted on in the Commons in almost a decade.

Only terminally ill adults with less than six months to live who have a settled wish to end their lives would be eligible under the new law.

The MP said the proposed legislation for England and Wales would offer the “safest choice” for mentally competent adults at the end of their lives and is capable of protecting against coercion.

The Bill runs to almost 40 pages, with around 20 pages of explanatory notes.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer indicated he is yet to decide on the bill.

He insisted MPs must “make their own mind up” on the controversial issue.

Ms Leadbeater told the BBC: “At the heart of this bill is the issue of choice.

"The time is right, the public mood is certainly behind a change in the law. We’ve got people who sadly are taking their own lives.

"We’ve got people who are forced to find the money, it's a very expensive thing to do, to go to Switzerland or another country - often doing so before they need to because they have to be well enough to travel.

"We’ve also got people who are having quite harrowing and heartbreaking deaths because no matter how good palliative care is - and we’ve got some of the best palliative care in the world, and there’s a conversation to be had about that - sadly for some people it cannot meet their needs.

Labour MP Kim Leadbeater in her office in the Houses of Parliament “When we look at the status quo, as legislators we’ve got a duty to address those issues.

“There’s a conversation to be had about palliative care and I’m pleased this is facilitating some of those important conversations.

"I met the Association of Palliative Care, Fosters UK, Sue Ryder, Marie Curie, and I thanked them for the work they do up and down the country.

"But I’ve also met families who’ve lost loved ones, who had very good palliative care, but it couldn’t meet their needs.

"Those individuals had horrible deaths which has left their families deeply traumatised and left them with very difficult memories to deal with. Let’s have a conversation about palliative care. Let’s make sure we do invest properly. But let’s also not detract from the rights of dying people to have a choice at the end of their lives.”

Critics say the Bill is being “rushed with indecent haste” and that MPs will not have adequate time to scrutinise the legislation before the November 29 debate and vote.

But Ms Leadbeater rejected this argument, saying almost three weeks is “plenty of time to look at the Bill” and is normal within parliamentary timeframes.

She also suggested any new law would not take effect for another two to three years, with “even more consultation to make sure we get it right”.

Sir Keir, who has previously supported assisted dying, said he will not pressure his MPs on the issue – on which the Government has pledged to remain neutral.

Asked if he is going to vote in favour of the legislation, the PM said: “Look, it’s going to be a free vote and I mean that. It will be for every MP to decide for themselves how they want to vote.

“I’m not going to be putting any pressure whatsoever on Labour MPs. They will make their own mind up, as I will be.

“Obviously a lot will depend on the detail and we need to get the balance right but I’ve always argued there will need to be proper safeguards in place.”