Assisted dying supporters for the Tories to strengthen cross-party appeal

Supporters of an assisted dying law in England and Wales are fighting to prevent the issue from dividing along party political lines after all four Tory leadership candidates suggested they would vote against the historic change.

A vital vote in the House of Commons on the issue could now be just weeks away after it emerged that Labor MP Kim Leadbeater would introduce a bill that would give some terminally ill adults the option of being helped to end their lives.

At the Tory party conference last week, leadership candidates Robert Jenrick, Kemi Badenoch, Tom Tugendhat and James Cleverly all raised concerns about a change in the law. Jenrick said he was in favor of assisted dying legislation but had recently changed his mind.

Weeks of meetings, lobbying and discussions with MPs during the political conference season had left campaigners in favor of a change in the law confident the issue would not be divided along party lines.

They have already won the support of some Conservatives, including shadow foreign secretary Andrew Mitchell. He said it was “time for choice”, revealing that he had changed his mind after witnessing what he described as the “cruelty and suffering caused by the blanket ban”.

Lord Forsyth, the former Tory cabinet minister, changed his mind after witnessing the death of his father in 2020. Former chancellor George Osborne and former Scottish Tory leader Ruth Davidson also support a change.

There will now be a major operation by both sides in the debate within Parliament to convince colleagues to support their cause. Kit Malthouse, former Tory Cabinet minister and leading advocate for assisted dying law, invites colleagues to discuss any questions and concerns.

Although party leaders have made it clear that MPs will be able to vote freely on the issue and that there will be no formal whipping operation, the numbers are already being compiled by both parties. Parliamentary meetings will intensify when details of the bill are announced later this month.

Keir Starmer has said he supports a change, although some members of his cabinet – including Health Secretary Wes Streeting – say they still have concerns.

While supporters are confident they have a much better chance of securing a majority for a new law than in 2015, when the idea was rejected outright, they recall a late wave of opposition leading up to that vote, when some MPs became afraid of the change.

This time, hesitant MPs are presented with three main arguments in support of the introduction of assisted dying.

They are told that the status quo is a “horror show” in which some people feel they must leave their families to travel abroad for help ending their lives, feel compelled to end their lives in other ways to make their lives or suffer a horrible death.

MP is also told that while palliative care needs to be improved, there are some circumstances that even the highest standards of care cannot cope with.

Finally, a change in the law is presented as a victory for autonomy and compassion, as expressed by broadcaster Esther Rantzen, who has said that she would currently have to travel alone to Switzerland to end her life in the face of terminal cancer.

“The MPs who vote against or abstain must recognize that they are making a choice,” said a Tory MP. “The status quo is a choice, and it is not a happy one.”

Safeguards will be crucial in securing the support of many waverers, but opponents say they are difficult to enforce and in practice it is difficult to judge whether someone has less than six months to live.

Jenrick told the Tory conference that he is now concerned about the “unintended consequences” of an assisted dying law.

Badenoch said she supported a change in principle but “didn’t trust any government or government department to be able to deliver this”.

Tugendhat said last week that he was “very uncomfortable” with the assisted dying laws and that it was “immensely unlikely” he would support one in parliament. Smartly voted against assisted dying in 2015 and has not changed her mind.