Rochester and Strood MP Lauren Edwards has sparked a new civil war in the already fractious Parliamentary Labour Party with an announcement that she plans to reintroduce a bill to legalise assisted dying.
Ms Edwards came second in the ballot for private members bills in the new session of parliament and now plans to reintroduce Kim Leadbeater’s highly controversial Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill which would allow assisted deaths in England and Wales.
The original bill fell in April after running out of time to clear all its legislative hurdles in the House of Lords because of a huge number of amendments attempting to bring in safeguards against it being abused.
It had only just cleared the House of Commons by 23 votes splitting the Labour Party with many believing support for it by Sir Keir Starmer being crucial for it to win a narrow majority.
The move by Ms Edwards comes though as Labour MPs are already at each other’s throats over the future direction of the party and Sir Keir appears to be on the cusp of being forced out.
One of the declared leadership challengers to replace him, former health secretary Wes Streeting, is already opposed to the legislation while Andy Burnham’s position is not clear.
Ms Edwards insisted that the will of the democratically elected chamber had to be given primacy and it was wrong it was blocked by the Lords calling assisted dying “a long overdue reform”.
But another Labour MP Ashley Dalton warned that the bill should not be a priority for Labour in government when it faces crises on a number of fronts including the stagnant economy, cost of living and, after the resignation of former defence secretary John Healey, military spending.
She warned: “I’m deeply concerned that supporters are bringing the assisted dying bill back. Voters put us in power to reduce the cost of living and fix the NHS. We have debated this deeply divisive and flawed assisted dying bill for over a year and supporters have refused to listen or to make the necessary changes.
“This bill would hand sweeping unchecked powers over life and death and our NHS to future governments, whatever their political persuasion. We should not be using more of our limited time and political capital on something that simply isn’t safe or a priority for the people who put us in power.”
But in a statement released on Sunday, Ms Edwards said: “After giving the matter a great deal of thought, I will be reintroducing the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill. This long overdue change to the law was supported by MPs during the last session of parliament and was prevented from passing only by the decision of a minority in the House of Lords to talk it out and stop it coming to a vote.
“I believe it is a fundamental democratic principle that the elected chamber, the House of Commons, should decide what does and does not become law in this country. We owe it to all those terminally ill people and their families who are depending on this Bill to ensure that Parliament can come to a final decision on the question of choice at the end of life.”
Last month, Ms Edwards came second in the ballot for a Private Member’s Bill debate and is expected to formally introduce her chosen bill to the Commons on Wednesday 17 June.
However, Ms Edwards ignored a petition signed by over 550 constituents urging the MP not to reintroduce the “assisted dying” bill in parliament, but to take up instead an issue that would command the support of and benefit the whole constituency.
A new MRP poll shows that legalising assisted dying came rock bottom of a list of Rochester and Strood voters’ priorities that they would want their MP to focus on if they had the opportunity to make a law change over the next year.
Only 7 per cent of Ms Edwards’ constituents included it in their top three priorities for what they would want her to prioritise.
Liz Carr, BBC actress and disability rights campaigner, said: “Even if an MP supports the idea of legalising assisted suicide, to bring back this specific Bill is to resurrect essentially the same Bill ie. not a safer Bill, not a better Bill – and trying to push it through with no real chance to fix the dangers disabled people, doctors, psychiatrists, women’s groups and eating disorder experts have already warned about.
“The same gaps. The same risks. The same demand that disabled, ill and older people should simply trust safeguards in a system many of us already have to fight just to get basic support to live, never mind to die.”
However, other activists have strongly supported the legislation led by former TV presenter Dame Esther Rantzen.
Sarah Wootton, Chief Executive of Dignity in Dying, said: “This announcement will come as an enormous relief to terminally ill people and their families. After decades of campaigning, and historic parliamentary progress towards giving dying people proper choice and protection at the end of life, many feared that law change had been derailed despite the clear support of both the public and elected MPs.
“Lauren Edwards’ decision ensures that this vital conversation can continue. Every day, dying people are forced to endure suffering they would not choose, while others take desperate measures because the law offers them no safe, compassionate alternative. They deserve better.”
