MP launches fresh bid to change law on assisted dying in UK

It was last debated in 2015

The bill is being put forward by Labour MP Kim Leadbeater who said ‘now is the time’ to hold a fresh debate on assisted dying.

The last time the topic was raised in parliament was in 2015 when MPs rejected a bill on the issue, but Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has previously promised to give Labour MPs a chance to vote on the matter.

The Prime Minister has thrown his support behind a change in the law himself.

Leadbeater said her proposals would give eligible adults nearing the end of their lives the right to choose to shorten their deaths if they wish.

However, there is still opposition to the change. Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson, a former Paralympian who is a crossbencher in the House of Lords is against the bill.

She told the BBC she was worried ‘about the impact on vulnerable people, on disabled people, coercive control, and the ability of doctors to make a six-month diagnosis’.

The details have not yet been finalised but it is likely to be similar to a proposal in the House of Lords, which would allow terminally ill adults with six months or fewer to live to get medical help to end their own lives.

The bill is expected to be formally introduced on 16 October, with a debate and initial vote likely to take place later this year.

Before it could become law, it would need to be approved by MPs and peers.

Scotland, Jersey and the Isle of Man are also considering similar changes to the law.

The subject made its way back into the public spotlight earlier this year after broadcaster Dame Esther Rantzen revealed she had lung cancer and had joined Dignitas - the assisted dying clinic in Switzerland.

Sir Keir Starmer said he had promised Dame Esther a debate and a free vote on assisted dying before the general election.

Dame Esther said she was surprised that she may live to see a debate in Parliament about the issue.

She said that as it stands, the law puts her family ‘at risk of being accused of killing me’ if they helped her end her life in Switzerland.

She said: “All I’m asking for is that we be given the dignity of choice. If I decide that my own life is not worth living, please may I ask for help to die. It’s a choice.”

Assisted suicide is currently banned in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, with a maximum prison sentence of 14 years.

Speaking about the current situation, Leadbeater said: “The current situation isn’t particularly safe and there isn’t actually the choice that I believe people deserve and should have.”

It is not clear which way the House of Commons will vote when the bill is debated.

The make-up of the Commons has changed dramatically since 2015, when MPs last voted on assisted dying.