MPs are bracing for a bitter struggle over the assisted dying law this week with warnings it could be ‘talked out’.
Tensions are rising with the Commons set to debate the issue on Friday and potentially vote for the first time in nearly a decade.
But the Private Members’ Bill proposed by Labour MP Kim Leadbeater has sparked deep splits in the Cabinet, and across the political spectrum.
Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood has branded the policy a ‘slippery slope towards death on demand’ in a letter to constituents. Health Secretary Wes Streeting has also been critical, but Keir Starmer has hinted he will back the plan – which gained momentum after a campaign by terminally ill TV star Esther Rantzen.
Meanwhile, Speaker Lindsay Hoyle is expected to stick to convention by not imposing any time limit on speeches. That could leave the measures vulnerable to a filibustering effort by opponents.
As politicians wrestle with their positions, polls have suggested that the public supports the…
