Rachael Maskell MP to vote against assisted dying bill

Rachael Maskell, MP for York Central, said the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill is a “fundamental misunderstanding of its impact on medicine”.

“We have got to fix palliative care first and foremost, yet this Bill draws more resources away from providing care. I will vote against,” the Labour MP said.

The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill will be debated and likely voted on November 29, the first Commons vote on assisted dying since 2015.

A person holds a hard copy of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill proposed by Labour MP Kim Leadbeater which will be debated and likely voted on on November 29, the first Commons vote on assisted dying since 2015 (Image: Stefan Rousseau/PA Wire) Labour MP Kim Leadbeater has described her proposed legislation as the “most robust” in the world, as she stated she expects hundreds of dying people might initially opt to use a service which could see patients press a button to end their lives.

Opposition campaigners have raised fears of coercion and a slippery slope to wider legislation taking in more people.

But Ms Leadbeater has rejected those arguments, saying her Bill has “three layers of scrutiny” in the form of a sign-off by two doctors and a High Court judge, and would make coercion an offence with a possible punishment of 14 years in jail.

Rachael Maskell, MP for York Central (Image: Danny Lawson/PA Wire) Sir Keir Starmer has described the issue as “a very important question on which views differ, strongly-held views on either side”.

Speaking at Cop29 in Baku, the Prime Minister said: “I will not be putting pressure on any MP to vote one way or the other.

“I personally will study the details of the Bill which has now been published today because safeguards have always been extremely important to me and were an essential part of the guidelines that I drew up when I was chief prosecutor.”

Bill is a 'once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Parliament', says former director of public prosecutions

The Bill has safeguards “all over it” and is a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Parliament” to change what is currently a “pitiful situation” with the current law, according to former director of public prosecutions Sir Max Hill.

He said the status quo is a two-tier system where the wealthy can travel to Dignitas in Switzerland while others have to consider assisting their loved ones to die and facing possible prosecution as a result.

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Sir Max said he believes there is “an unanswerable argument that the law at the moment provides no safeguards, no rails, no guidance and leaves the vulnerable in a pitiful situation”.

Critics say the Bill is being “rushed with indecent haste”, but Ms Leadbeater said almost three weeks is “plenty of time to look at the Bill” and is normal within parliamentary timeframes, noting that the general conversation around assisted dying has been ongoing for years.

She also suggested any new law would not take effect for another two to three years, with “even more consultation to make sure we get it right”.

She acknowledged this would be “heartbreaking” for people and families for whom change could come too late.