A minister has defended her Cabinet colleagues voicing “strong opinions” in opposition to assisted dying ahead of a historic Commons vote next week.
Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall said she would not criticise the health and justice secretaries for their interventions after both expressed concerns about the legislation due before Parliament on Friday.
However, she confirmed she would be voting in favour of backbench Labour MP Kim Leadbeater’s Bill to legalise assisted dying for terminally-ill adults with less than six months to live after next week’s debate.
Facing broadcasters on Sunday, Ms Kendall was asked how Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood and Health Secretary Wes Streeting could keep their jobs if the legislation passes after voicing vehement opposition to it.
She told Sky News’ Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips: “Because this is about legislation that Parliament may or may not pass … I’m not going to criticise either Wes or Shabana, who are good colleagues and have strong opinions about this.”
The minister added: “I voted for it the last time it was debated and I will vote for it again.
“I think the safeguards in the Bill are much stronger than last time and I’ve always believed in giving people as much power, control and choice over the things that matter to them as possible.”
It comes after Ms Mahmood suggested the draft law would open the door to a “slippery slope to death on demand” and said she was “profoundly concerned” because of religious reasons and also how it could change the role of the state.
In a letter to constituents, the Justice Secretary said: “I have always held the view that… 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.”
Mr Streeting also faced a backlash after saying he would vote against the legislation and suggesting it would cost the NHS more.
Earlier on Sunday, Labour peer and former justice secretary Lord Falconer suggested Ms Mahmood’s religious beliefs should not be “imposed” on others.
Lord Falconer, who is an advocate of the Bill, told Sky: “She, and I respect this, has religious and spiritual reasons why she believes completely in the sanctity of life, and in her statement or her letter to constituents she makes that clear, and that is her starting point.
“I respect that religious belief, but I do not think it should be imposed on everybody else.”
The interventions come despite a letter from Cabinet Secretary Simon Case last month outlining that the Government would remain neutral on the issue and suggesting ministers should avoid taking part in public debate.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has declined to say whether he will back the Bill, arguing he does not want to pressure MPs. Members will be given a free vote to act according to their conscience, rather than in line with party policy.
But prominent figures including former prime minister Gordon Brown have voiced opposition to the legislation, insisting better end-of-life care is needed instead of assisted dying.
Ministers are split on the issue, with Ms Kendall and Stephen Kinnock, a care minister in Mr Streeting’s health department, both explicitly in favour of the legislation.
Ms Mahmood, Mr Streeting and Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson have said they will vote against the Bill.
Proponents argue existing legislation fails to respect patient autonomy and discriminates financially between those who can afford to travel abroad to end their lives within the law and those who cannot.
Leading barristers including former director of public prosecutions Sir Max Hill KC have spoken in favour of the Bill, saying it would offer better safeguards than the current system through a process involving two doctors and a judge.
Ms Leadbeater has described her Bill as the most “robust” in the world, with “three layers of scrutiny” in the form of a sign-off by two doctors and a High Court judge.
It would also make coercion an offence with a possible punishment of 14 years in jail.
The Bill, which covers England and Wales, states only terminally-ill adults with under six months left to live and a settled wish to die would be eligible.
In response to Ms Mahmood’s comments, Ms Leadbeater said: “Shabana is a good friend and I have the utmost respect for her, but good friends don’t always agree.
“I recognise her sincerity and her compassion, and fully respect her belief in the sanctity of life, but the other points she raises have been made on a number of occasions and I have answered them in the thorough drafting and presentation of the Bill.”
Facing broadcasters on Sunday, she said she had no doubts “whatsoever” about the legislation.
“If you assist someone, whether that’s by going to another country for an assisted death or if you are involved in someone taking their own life – one of your loved ones who really cannot cope with the fear or the pain of what they’re end of life looks like – you can be prosecuted and you can go to prison. People live in fear under those circumstances,” she told Sky News’ Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips.
“That cannot be right. So, we’ve got a duty to fix this problem.”
Meanwhile, a group of 29 faith leaders united to oppose assisted dying in joint letter on Sunday.
Signatories including the Bishop of London, the Cardinal Archbishop of Westminster and the Chief Rabbi said: “Our pastoral roles make us deeply concerned about the impact the Bill would have on the most vulnerable, opening up the possibility of life-threating abuse and coercion. This is a concern we know is shared by many people, with and without faith.”
