In response to renewed discussions sparked by Dame Esther Rantzen, Labour leader Keir Starmer has endorsed the reconsideration of legislation regarding assisted dying, emphasizing the necessity of a free vote due to the polarized nature of opinions on the matter.
Starmer’s endorsement comes after Rantzen, renowned ChildLine founder and broadcaster, publicly disclosed her contemplation of assisted dying as an option if her ongoing lung cancer treatment fails to improve her condition.
Health Secretary Victoria Atkins, addressing the issue on Thursday, acknowledged it as a “matter of conscience” but refrained from expressing her stance on whether a parliamentary vote should be scheduled. Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today program, Atkins stated, “I think that if there was a will in parliament that it will happen, if members of parliament, backbenchers, want it to happen.”
Starmer, who previously supported a change in the law during the 2015 Commons vote on assisted dying, stressed the need for careful consideration given the strongly held and divergent perspectives on the matter. During a visit to Estonia, where he met British troops, Starmer stated, “I personally do think there are grounds for changing the law; we have to be careful, but it would have to be, I think, a free vote on an issue where there are such divided and strong views.”
The Labour leader’s involvement in the assisted dying debate dates back to his tenure as the director of public prosecutions when a decision was made not to prosecute the parents of Daniel James, a 23-year-old paralyzed during rugby training who later opted for assisted suicide in a Swiss clinic in 2008.
In England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, assisted suicide remains prohibited, carrying a maximum prison sentence of 14 years. While there is no specific offense of assisted suicide in Scotland, euthanasia can be prosecuted as murder or culpable homicide.
Rantzen, revealing her cancer’s progression to stage four in May, has joined the Swiss organization Dignitas, advocating for another free vote on assisted dying to align the law with public sentiment.
Former Home Office minister Kit Malthouse noted a significant shift in parliamentary sentiment since 2015, hinting at a growing majority in favor of reconsidering the legislation. In the 2015 vote, a bill to legalize assisted dying under strict controls was defeated by 330 votes to 118.
Labour frontbencher Darren Jones echoed public sentiment, stating on Sky News, “There is clearly a demand from the public to have a debate about changing the law. If the public want to have a debate on this, the House of Commons is there to serve the public and so it should be debated.”