Chance assisted dying can be dropped, claim critics

THE assisted dying Bill could still be voted down, critics have said.

Tory MP Danny Kruger hopes it will be dropped because so many MPs were uneasy over the disputed legislation.

The proposed law cleared its first hurdle after MPs voted 330 to 275 at its second reading on Friday.

But Mr Kruger said: “This is not the end, it's just the beginning.”

He said it could still be voted down at the third reading if MPs are not satisfied with improvements next year.

He added: “There’s a very strong sense that it's not over - which is very encouraging.

“We are talking about a couple of dozen people who could switch their votes if they aren’t satisfied with the final shape of the bill. It’s not over at all which is what the other side are saying.”

Sobbing in the chamber

Mr Kruger said a lot of safeguards are needed, adding: “The fact that the doctor can suggest an assisted death for someone who doesn’t want one right through to the fact the judge who conducts the proceedings in secrecy without any investigation of any coercion or pressure on the patient.”

One MP said she had been in tears all week and sobbed in the chamber over some of the speeches.

Another added: “It’s been an emotional rollercoaster.”

Prime Minister Keir Starmer was among those who backed the plan which would allow terminally ill adults with less than six months life expectancy to end their lives.

Some MPs indicated during the debate they could drop their support if they are not convinced of the safeguards.

MPs on both sides of the debate have called for improvements to palliative care.

Charity Hospice UK said some hospices would ask for a conscientious objection to assisted dying.

And senior doctors said the struggling palliative care system must be an immediate priority for the government.

The UK is often held up as having the best palliative care in the world – but that is not the case any longer

Dr Sarah Cox

The Association for Palliative Medicine says there is a risk the funding needed to pay for doctors and the courts to oversee assisted dying could divert money away from care for the dying.

“The UK is often held up as having the best palliative care in the world – but that is not the case any longer. We are not getting the funding we need," Dr Sarah Cox told the BBC.

The Bill will next go to committee stage, where MPs can table amendments, before it faces votes in the Commons and Lords.

Any change in the law would not be agreed until next year at the earliest.

Kim Leadbeater, who led the bill, has said it would likely be a further two years from then for an assisted dying service to be in place.