A wavering group of MPs who supported the historic vote in Parliament in favor of assisted dying could still oppose its passage into law without further assurances, the bill’s supporters have warned, amid concerns that significant hurdles still remain.
MPs voted in favor of the change by a majority of 55 votes on Friday after a landmark five-hour debate on allowing assisted dying for terminally ill adults in England and Wales with less than six months to live.
However, Kim Ledbeater, the MP behind the legislation, has been called on to bolster her support by immediately asking all those who backed her bill about their remaining concerns. The Observer has spoken to Tory and Labor MPs who backed the bill but are reserving judgment ahead of a final vote next year.
David Davies, the former Tory Brexit secretary, is among the group. He said to Observer that a proactive approach by the bill’s leading advocates could ensure that any lingering doubts are overcome. “It doesn’t have an overwhelming majority,” he said. “The Second Reading of [1967] The abortion bill passed by 223 to 29. I think a fair number of MPs voted on the premise that I made – that it was a bill that could be suitably modified to make it right. We also had about 30 abstentions.
“If 30 MPs change their minds, it will happen in the opposite direction. So if I were advising Kim Ledbeater, I would write to every single person who voted for the bill and say, ‘What are your concerns?’ Address that.”
Concerns among the undecided center on safeguards around Leadbeater’s Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, as well as the risks of coercion. Others want the doctors who approve the necessary drugs to have a special license. Under the terms of the proposed law, two doctors and a Superior Court judge must sign off on every request for assisted dying. In addition, Davis and others are proposing additional efforts to make it more difficult to expand the bill’s scope in the future.
A Leadbeater ally said the next phase of the bill, in which it will be debated and considered by a cross-party group of MPs, will ensure all concerns are addressed. “All MPs will have an opportunity to express their views on how the bill can be improved,” they said.
“Kim will listen carefully to what they have to say and is very conscious of the need for the committee to reflect the views of the whole House and take MPs with them in the coming weeks and months.” So those MPs who said in the debate that the bill will not be subject to real consideration and significant changes will be proven wrong.
Some Labor MPs also have political concerns about the bill. They said it risked being a significant distraction for Keir Starmer as he tries to show his government is making a tangible difference to people’s lives. “It will take a long time,” said a Labor MP who voted against the bill. “I find that a little disappointing.”
Figures across the House are now pushing for the bill to be given as much time as it needs on the House floor next year. They pointed to the big time given to the 1967 Abortion Act, originally proposed by Liberal MP David Steele.
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Meanwhile, Whitehall is starting work on producing impact assessments covering the proposals. There are concerns in government about the impact on the NHS. Health Minister Wes Streeting, who opposes the billsaid it would have “resource implications” for health services. Shabana Mahmoud, Minister of Justice, also vehemently opposed.
Parliamentary sources said the bill is likely to be studied by a committee of MPs from January to March and will appear in the House of Commons at the earliest in late April. Unusually, the committee will take oral and written evidence. MPs are also asking for more time in the next House of Commons debates on the issue.
Support in the House of Commons reflects public views, according to the latest Opinium survey for Observer. Almost two-thirds (64%) support legalizing the request for ‘assisted dying’ in the UK, with 19% opposed. Cross-party support is high, with 60% or more of voters from all five major parties supporting new legislation.
The survey found that the public’s top argument for changing the law was that it could “offer dignity and relief to terminally ill people at the end of their lives”. Some 57% see this as the strongest argument, while 37% think it “offers people the right to choose how they die”. The biggest concern was that “vulnerable people may feel pressured into choosing assisted death”, with 40% citing this as the strongest argument against it.
