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Esther Rantzen hails Labour's 'extraordinary' Kim Leadbeater for introducing assisted dying bill
16 October 2024, 00:01 | Updated: 16 October 2024, 09:20
Dame Esther Rantzen has hailed Kim Leadbeater as “an extraordinary person” after the MP introduced an assisted dying bill to Parliament.
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The MP for Spen Valley introduced the private members bill at the start of the month, saying the current law is "not fit for purpose".
The proposal would allow terminally ill, mentally competent people to end their own life.
Dame Esther, 85, was diagnosed with terminal cancer in 2023, and has previously appealed to the government to make time for Parliament to debate and vote freely on the matter.
Discussing Ms Leadbeater on Tonight with Andrew Marr on LBC, Dame Esther said: “She’s so impressive. She’s entirely motivated by the desire to make a positive difference for people.”
The 84-year-old Childline founder has been a prominent figure in pushing for the law change and revealed in December she had joined the Swiss Dignitas clinic.
When asked if her plan is to still travel to Dignitas alone at the end of her life, Dame Esther told Andrew: “Yes, absolutely. I don't assume that I will be around long enough for the law to change.
Watch Again: Kim Leadbeater joins Andrew Marr to discuss assisted dying
“Obviously, like everybody, I would like to die with an opportunity to say goodbye to the people who are closest to me, friends and family in my own home.
“I didn't think that I'd be around in time to see any change in the law. But if that were to happen that would be amazing.”
The bill marks the first time in almost a decade MPs have debated and voted on the subject in the House of Commons in almost a decade.
An assisted dying bill was defeated in the Commons in 2015 and a separate one was blocked in the Lords in 2021.
MPs will need to approve the motion but this is expected to be a formality.
Dame Esther had a phone call with Sir Keir Starmer before the Labour leader became PM, in which he vowed his commitment on the issue.
Discussing her conversation with the PM, Dame Esther said: “I was talking to him about whether we could do something about the current mess of a law, because the criminal law at the moment is in a terrible state, and it's clearly something that he knew about from his time as a DPP.
“I think he has some personal family experience. So, he told me of his personal support.”
Dame Esther Rantzen joins Nick Ferrari
Speaking to LBC’s Andrew Marr earlier this month, Ms Leadbeater said that the UK’s current approach to assisted dying is “not working” and can lead to “harrowing, unbearable deaths” for those suffering with terminal illness.
“I think there's a real appetite, both within the public and within parliament, for this subject to be debated,” she said.
Opponents to changing the law have argued some people could feel pressured to have an assisted death against their will, and have called for more focus on improving and ensuring equal access to palliative care.
