A reluctant group of MPs who supported parliament’s historic vote in favor of assisted dying may yet oppose the introduction of the law without further reassurances, the bill’s supporters have been warned, amid concerns that significant hurdles remain exist.
MPs voted in favor of a change by a majority of 55 on Friday, after a memorable five-hour debate on whether to allow assisted dying for terminally ill adults in England and Wales who have less than six months to live.
However, Kim Leadbeater, the MP behind the legislation, is being urged to shore up support by immediately asking everyone who supported her bill about their remaining concerns. The Observer has spoken to Tory and Labor MPs who supported the bill but are reserving their judgment before the final vote next year.
David Davis, the former Tory Brexit secretary, is among the group. He told the Observer that a proactive approach from the bill’s leading proponents could ensure that any remaining doubts are resolved. “This is not an overwhelming majority,” he said. “The second reading of the Abortion Act (1967) was passed by 223 votes to 29. I think a fair number of MPs voted on the premise that I put forward – that this is a bill that can be amended in the right way to make it right. We also had about 30 abstentions.
“If 30 MPs changed their minds, things would go the other way. So if I were advising Kim Leadbeater, I would write to everyone who voted for the bill and say, ‘What are your concerns?’ Tackle it head-on.”
Concerns among waverers center on the safeguards surrounding Leadbeater’s Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, as well as the risks of coercion. Others want doctors who approve the necessary medications to receive a special license. Under the terms of the proposed law, two doctors and a Supreme Court judge would be required to sign off on any request for assisted dying. Additionally, Davis and others propose further efforts to make it more difficult to expand the bill’s scope in the future.
An ally of Leadbeater said the next stage of the bill, in which it will be debated and examined by a cross-party group of MPs, would ensure all concerns are addressed. “All MPs will have the opportunity to express their views on how the bill can be improved,” they said.
“Kim will listen carefully to what they say and is very aware of the need for the committee to reflect the views of the whole House and include MPs in the coming weeks and months. So the MPs who said in the debate that the bill would not be subject to real scrutiny and significant changes will be proven wrong.”
Some Labor MPs also have political concerns about the bill. They said it could be a major distraction for Keir Starmer as he tries to show his government is making a tangible difference to people’s lives. “This is going to take a huge amount of time,” said a Labor MP who voted against the bill. “I find that a bit frustrating.”
Figures from across the House of Commons are now demanding that the bill be given as much time as it needs to pass next year. They pointed to the extensive time spent on the 1967 abortion law, originally proposed by Liberal MP David Steel.
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Meanwhile, Whitehall will begin preparing impact assessments into the proposals. There are government concerns about the impact on the NHS. Health Minister Wes Streeting, who opposes the bill, has said it will have “resource implications” for the health service. Shabana Mahmood, the Minister of Justice, is also strongly opposed.
Parliamentary sources said the bill would likely be studied by a committee of MPs from January to March and would not appear in the House of Commons until the end of April at the earliest. It is unusual for the committee to take oral and written evidence. MPs also want more time in the subsequent debates in the House of Commons on this issue.
Support in the House of Commons reflects the views of the public, according to the latest Opinium poll for the Observer. Nearly two-thirds (64%) are in favor of making it legal for someone to seek assisted death in Britain, while 19% are against. Support between the parties is strong: 60% or more of voters from all five largest parties support new legislation.
The poll found that the best argument for a change in the law, according to the public, was that it could “provide dignity and relief to terminally ill people at the end of their lives”. About 57% saw this as the strongest argument, while 37% thought this “gave people the right to choose how they die.” The biggest concern was that “vulnerable people might feel pressured to choose assisted death”, with 40% citing this as the strongest argument against.