Justice Secretary says assisted dying ‘slippery slope to death on demand’

The authorities should “never connection decease arsenic a service”, the Justice Secretary has said, successful a powerfully worded involution implicit the assisted dying Bill up of a historical Commons ballot adjacent week.

In a missive to constituents, Shabana Mahmood said she was “profoundly concerned” by the legislation, not conscionable for spiritual reasons but due to the fact that it could make a “slippery slope towards decease connected demand”.

Ms Mahmood has antecedently made wide she would ballot against the Bill alongside Health Secretary Wes Streeting, who faced a backlash aft suggesting the changes would outgo the NHS more.

But her missive to voters, archetypal reported by the Observer, goes further, stating: “Sadly, caller scandals – specified arsenic Hillsborough, infected humor and the Post Office Horizon – person reminded america that the authorities and those acting connected its behalf are not ever benign.

“I person ever held the presumption that, for this reason, the authorities should service a wide role. It should support and sphere life, not instrumentality it away. The authorities should ne'er connection decease arsenic a service.”

She said “the top hazard of each is the unit the elderly, vulnerable, sick oregon disabled whitethorn spot upon themselves”.

The involution appears to beryllium astatine likelihood with guidance acceptable retired by Cabinet Secretary Simon Case past period that ministers should stay neutral connected the contented and debar taking portion successful nationalist debate.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has declined to accidental whether helium volition backmost the Bill, arguing that helium does not privation to unit MPs. Members volition beryllium fixed a escaped ballot to enactment according to their idiosyncratic beliefs, alternatively than successful enactment with enactment policy.

But salient figures including erstwhile premier curate Gordon Brown person voiced absorption to the legislation.

Ms Mahmood, Mr Streeting and Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson person said they volition ballot against the Bill portion attraction curate Stephen Kinnock said helium supports it.

Proponents reason existing authorities fails to respect diligent autonomy and discriminates financially betwixt those who tin spend to question overseas to extremity their lives wrong the instrumentality and those who cannot.

Leading barristers including erstwhile manager of nationalist prosecutions Sir Max Hill KC person spoken successful favour of the Bill, saying it would connection amended safeguards than the existent strategy done a process involving 2 doctors and a judge.

Labour MP Kim Leadbeater has described her Bill arsenic the astir “robust” successful the world, with “three layers of scrutiny” successful the signifier of a sign-off by 2 doctors and a High Court judge.

It would besides marque coercion an offence with a imaginable punishment of 14 years successful jail.

The Bill, which covers England and Wales, states lone terminally sick adults with nether six months near to unrecorded and a settled privation to dice would beryllium eligible.