Sir Keir Starmer is facing a major challenge for his government to intervene and delay a vote on assisted dying to go ahead on Friday this week.
A group of more than 50 Labour MPs have this weekend written to the Leader of the House Lucy Powell asking her to intervene and postpone this Friday’s final third reading vote on Kim Leadbeater’s assisted dying bill in the Commons.
Instead they are demanding that the government provides more parliamentary time to scrutinise a bill which will bring “fundamental changes” to healthcare in England.
The move marks a serious split over the issue among Labour MPs and could prove difficult Sir Keir who is in favour of assisted dying but tried to stay away from the fraught debate.
Even though the bill is a free vote as a conscience issue for MPs, it is now becoming a dividing line in the Labour parliamentary party.
Sir Keir and the government have consistently insisted they are “neutral” on the issue which has been the subject of a private members bill and have attempted to take a “hands off” approach to it.
But Labour MPs including Paul Waugh, Torcuil Crichton, Florence Eshalomi, Jess Asato, Adam Jogee, Polly Billington, Debbie Abrahams, Dawn Butler, Antonia Bance, Anna Dixon, James Frith, Daniel Francis and dozens of others now believe the limited private members bill procedure is not good enough for an issue which will deliver huge change.
The letter to Ms Powell, seen by The Independent, says: “On Friday, Members will debate and vote on perhaps the most consequential piece of legislation that has appeared before the House in generations.
“This is not a normal Bill. It alters the foundations of our NHS, the relationship between doctor and patient, and it strips power away from Parliament, concentrating it in the hands of future Health Secretaries.
“MPs will be arriving at Westminster on Friday morning without sight of the final version of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill.”
They noted: “The sponsor of the Bill [Ms Leadbeater] has proudly stated that it has received more time in Parliament than some Government Bills have. And yet; MPs have had the opportunity to vote on just 12 of 133 amendments tabled at Report Stage.
“Just fourteen percent of MPs have been afforded the opportunity to speak in the chamber on this Bill Several movers of amendments haven’t been able to speak to the changes they have laid.”
One of the amendments not voted on was a protection against people with anorexia and other eating disorders being subject to assisted dying put forward by Labour MP Naz Shah.
Even though Ms Leadbeater had indicated she would agree to the late provision, despite rejecting similar amendments before, it did not come up for a vote.
The letter went on: “Despite this, the Bill has been radically changed from the one presented to MPs at Second Reading in November. As it stands today, the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill is now longer than the Government’s Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill with a staggering 64 clauses and two schedules.
“The fact that such fundamental changes are being made to this Bill at the eleventh hour is not a badge of honour, it is a warning. The private member’s bill process has shown itself to be a woefully inadequate vehicle for the introduction of such a foundational change to our NHS and the relationship between doctor and patient.
“New Clause 2 was added to the Bill last Friday with a sizable majority. Such a profound alteration to this Bill at the last minute reflects the discomfort uniting the House about the current format of this Bill and the desire to further amend it to protect vulnerable people.”
They added: “This is no longer about debating the abstract principle of assisted dying. The Bill before Parliament has created real concern with medical experts and charities. MPs and the Government should listen to their expertise.
“We implore you as the Leader of the House to allocate more Parliamentary time to the scrutiny of this Bill, the valid concerns that Members have about its implementation, and the consequences it could have on vulnerable populations.”
However, supporters of the Bill have complained about delaying tactics used by opponents.
On Friday Lib Dem MP Christine Jardine, one of the Bill’s sponsors, made a point of order claiming opponents were “hiding in the lobby toilets” during votes, to delay the Bill’s progress.
The Independent has approached Ms Leadbeater for comment.
Other signatories to the letter include Labour MPs Antonia Bance, Florence Eshalomi, Richard Baker, Neil Coyle, Gurinder Singh Josan, Dan Francis, James Frith, Anna Dixon, Siobhan McDonagh, Katrina Murray, Julie Minns, Scott Arthur, John Grady, Richard Quigley, Debbie Abrahams, Tom Collins, Bell Ribeiro-Addy, Catherine Atkinson, Rachael Maskell, Kenneth Stevenson, David Baines, David Smith, Sarah Smith, Sean Woodcock, Kirsteen Sullivan, Laurence Turner, Polly Billington, Josh Newbury, Kate Osamor, Patricia Ferguson, Jonathan Davies, Ruth Jones, Katrina Murray, Paul Foster, Adam Jogee, Blair McDougall, Naz Shah and Valerie Vaz.
