'Two-thirds support assisted dying bill' poll claims after Justice Secretary expressed concerns about proposals

24 November 2024, 00:03

Two-thirds of Brits support the assisted dying bill which are set to be voted on in the House of Commons next week.
Two-thirds of Brits support the assisted dying bill which are set to be voted on in the House of Commons next week. Picture: Alamy

By Chay Quinn

Two-thirds of Brits support the assisted dying bill which are set to be voted on in the House of Commons next week.

Listen to this article

Loading audio...

A poll by More In Common, reported by the Sunday Times, said that 65 per cent of the UK was in favour of the changes.

The poll also found that only seven British constituencies had a majority against allowing terminally ill people to end their own lives.

Only 13 per cent were against the proposed laws - with a quarter undecided.

On November 29, MPs will vote on whether to legalise assisted dying, through Kim Leadbeater's Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill.

Under the proposed law, assisted dying will be allow if a terminally ill patient is expected to die with six months.

File photo dated 09/10/24 of Labour MP Kim Leadbeater joining terminally ill advocates, bereaved families, and campaigners for a photocall outside the House of Parliament
On November 29, MPs will vote on whether to legalise assisted dying, through Kim Leadbeater's Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill. Picture: Alamy

The poll comes after Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood said the UK is on a 'slippery slope to death on demand' in a letter to constituents

In her letter, Ms Mahmood said she was "profoundly concerned" about the legislation which will face a Commons vote next week.

She added: "Sadly, recent scandals - such as Hillsborough, infected blood and the Post Office Horizon - have reminded us that the state and those acting on its behalf are not always benign.

Read More: Why the Assisted Dying Bill is a vital step for the terminally ill

Read More: Gordon Brown says he will not support assisted dying bill

"I have always held the view that, for this reason, the state should serve a clear role. It should protect and preserve life, not take it away.

"The state should never offer death as a service."

London, UK. 17th Oct, 2024. Cabinet Committee (believed to be a National Security Council) held at the Cabinet Office
Ms Mahmood said she was "profoundly concerned" about the legislation which will face a Commons vote next week. Picture: Alamy

Ms Mahmood said "predictions about life expectancy are often inaccurate".

"Doctors can only predict a date of death, with any real certainty, in the final days of life," she said.

"The judgment as to who can and cannot be considered for assisted suicide will therefore be subjective and imprecise."

Ms Mahmood said she thought some may be "pressured" into ending their lives.

"It cannot be overstated what a profound shift in our culture assisted suicide will herald," she wrote.

"In my view, the greatest risk of all is the pressure the elderly, vulnerable, sick or disabled may place upon themselves."

"The strict eligibility criteria make it very clear that we are only talking about people who are already dying," she said.

"That is why the bill is called the 'Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill'; its scope cannot be changed and clearly does not include any other group of people.

"The bill would give dying people the autonomy, dignity and choice to shorten their death if they wish."

The newest intervention comes after former Prime Minister Gordon Brown declared his opposition to the assisted dying bill.

In a rare intervention, the former Labour PM explained that the death of his newborn daughter in 2002 did not convince him of the need for assisted dying but rather better end-of-life care.

It comes as MPs are set to debate the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill on Friday, November 29.

Mr Brown told the Guardian: “We could only sit with her, hold her tiny hand and be there for her as life ebbed away. She died in our arms.

Read more: Why the Assisted Dying Bill is a vital step for the terminally ill

“But those days we spent with her remain among the most precious days of my and Sarah’s lives.”

Bridget Phillipson on assisted dying

Instead of backing assisted dying, Mr Brown called on Labour to introduce a “fully-funded, 10-year strategy for improved and comprehensive palliative care”.

“When only a small fraction of the population are expected to choose assisted dying, would it not be better to focus all our energies on improving all-round hospice care to reach everyone in need of end of life support?” he added.

“Medical advances that can transform end-of-life care and the horror of people dying alone, as with Covid, have taught us a great deal.

“This generation have it in our power to ensure no-one should have to face death alone, uncared for, or subject to avoidable pain.”

Kim Leadbeater, the MP responsible for the bill, said she was “deeply touched” Mr Brown would share such a personal story.

Dignity in Dying campaigners gather in Parliament Square, central London, in support of the 'assisted dying bill'.
Dignity in Dying campaigners gather in Parliament Square, central London, in support of the 'assisted dying bill'. Picture: Alamy

She said: “He and I agree on very many things but we don’t agree on this.

“Only legislation by Parliament can put right what Sir Keir Starmer calls the ‘injustice that we have trapped within our current arrangement’.

“The need to address the inability of the current law to provide people with safeguards against coercion and the choice of a better death, and to protect their loved ones from possible prosecution, cannot wait.

“So for me it isn’t a case of one or the other. My Bill already includes the need for the Government to report back to Parliament on the availability and quality of palliative care, and I strongly support further detailed examination of its provision. We need to do both.”

Under the End of Life Bill, proposed by Labour backbencher Kim Leadbeater, people must be over 18, and have at most six months left to live. Simply being disabled or mentally ill will not make someone eligible.

Anyone who wants to take their own life under the new law must live in England or Wales, have been registered with a GP for at least a year and have the mental capacity to make the right decision.

They must take the fatal medicine themselves - neither a doctor nor anyone else can administer it.

More Latest News

See more More Latest News

Breaking
Man, 49, who 'went crazy' after taking crack cocaine jailed for 39 years following Christmas Day double murder

Man, 49, who 'went crazy' after taking crack cocaine jailed for 39 years following Christmas Day double murder

Disgraced music mogul R. Kelly taken to hospital after 'overdosing' in prison

Disgraced music mogul R. Kelly taken to hospital after 'overdosing' in prison - alleging prison staff are to blame

The Royal Hospital for Neuro-disability, Putney.

South London nurse struck off over 'sexually motivated' WhatsApps to colleague, claiming it was 'just banter'

Annabel Rook

Charity boss found stabbed to death in London home after police rushed to scene following 'gas explosion'

Exclusive
British Army soldiers gather outside the hospitality chalet of aerospace manufacturer Thales.

UK would ‘lose war with Russia’ in current setup, as Army chief calls for greater use of attack drones and missiles

Bethan James died on February 8, 2020, after alleged delays to treatment.

Ex-England cricketer’s daughter 'could have been saved' if medics didn't 'miss signs of sepsis', inquest hears

Woodburn's co-star Aggie Mackenzie has acknowledged the death by giving a statement.

Aggie MacKenzie breaks silence after death of 'tortured soul' Kim Woodburn following How Clean is Your House? feud

Easyjet flights to Spain are set to be grounded

Easyjet cabin crew announce three days of summer strike action grounding flights later this month

Chris Wilder

Sheffield United set to sack Chris Wilder after missing out on promotion to the Premier League

acegoers attending Day One of Royal Ascot 2025, Ascot Racecourse

Style takes the reins: Racegoers dazzle on day one at Ascot

.

When is the Tour de France 2025 and how to watch

Phoenix Spencer-Horn

Killer admits murdering girlfriend before decapitating and trying to dismember her in sick cover-up attempt

Police have cordoned off Millbank Lane, Thornaby, after kids found bullets in the ground.

Police launch probe after children find 'bag of bullets' and firearm magazine while playing in field

Teenage boy fixing an L plate to the back of a Renault Clio before a driving lesson.

Driving test backlog reaches eye-watering high of over 630,000

Poundland has announced plans to close 68 stores and two UK warehouses

Poundland announces plans to close 68 stores and two UK warehouses after being 'sold for £1'

Leroy Mitchell

Man, 32, charged with murder after father-of-three shot dead outside silent disco